Blood Pact
by Blitz Magnus
Summary: [Updated] With Gon and Killua safely back into the fold and out of harm’s way after negotiations with the Genei Ryodan were concluded, Kuroro Lucifer makes his move on the unsuspecting Kurapika and ropes him into becoming an unwilling part of them.
1. Endless Vertigo

**Title: _Blood Pact_**

**Author:** Blitz Magnus

**Chapter:** 1?

**Status:** re-edited and completed

**Pairings:** future Kuroro x Kurapika

**Genre:** Romance/Humor + a bit of Drama/Adventure

**Warnings:** This fic contains shounen-ai (male x male relationship). So if you don't and can't stomach this kind of genre, don't read. Characters are extremely OOC. This is a product of boredom, an endless spiral of empty space, and a lame attempt at making fiction. You have been forewarned, so no flames regarding these matters.

**Rating: **PG-13 (T)

**Disclaimer:** _Hunter x Hunter_© original story and characters belong not to me, but to the legendary Yoshihiro Togashi.

**Author's Notes:** The timeline is set at the end of the OVA, right after Kuroro's capture by Kurapika, and picks up in between the OVA and the Greed Island arc. The events of the story take place after the negotiations between Pakunoda and Kurapika are over, as well as the exchange of hostages. Changes made in the actual series for the purpose of writing this fic are as follows: 1.) Kurapika was not able to seal Kuroro's nen during Kuroro's confinement, 2.) Kurapika did not take off his disguise as a female hotel receptionist during the entire confrontation between him and the Danchou, 3.) Pakunoda never revealed Kurapika's weakness to the spiders (meaning she didn't die), 4.) Hisoka has yet to uncover his betrayal to the Genei Ryodan (meaning he didn't show up during the hostage exchange).

**Summary:** With Gon and Killua safely back into the fold and out of harm's way after negotiations with the Genei Ryodan were concluded, Kuroro Lucifer makes his move on the unsuspecting Kurapika and roped him into becoming a part of them, indirectly, on the aftermath of their encounter. Kurapika, in turn, manages to learn more about the Kuruta Red-Eyes in his stay with the Genei Ryodan and he's less than happy with the results as he got more than what he'd bargained for. Never did he dream that he'd turn into one of them, and things get more complicated when he realized he'd fallen for the enemy.

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**Chapter One: Endless Vertigo**

_Milwaukee Avenue, York Shin City_

_September 9_

_19:45 PM_

The gathering of storm clouds and the sudden heavy downpour had been an omen of impending misfortune.

The last surviving member of the Kuruta tribe had always prided within himself to have immense amount of self-control over his emotions, regardless of the situation or his surroundings, but once the mere mention about 'spiders' came up, to say that chances of him turning into one seriously pissed off mean son-of-a-bitch are big would be the understatement of the century.

And so it was never a rational thought for one certain Kurapika Kuruta to sit back and quietly stay in the dark whenever the topic of spiders or Genei Ryodan came within peripheral vision or hearing.

Which was why in his current state of mind, he was positively livid; his glowing crimson red eyes screamed bloody murder as he tried to buck himself off his captor's shoulders.

After all, it wasn't everyday your plans tend to blow up in your face dead on, and finding the very bane of your existence carrying you around in York New City over his shoulders like a sack of heavy potatoes with _chains_ bound around your wrists and ankles when the contraptions were supposedly your own choice of weaponry and you were supposed to have mastered the skill of controlling it.

Come to think of it, this was definitely _not_ on his to-do list, even the mere thought of having a conversation with one member of the hated spider group made his skin crawl, unless of course it meant screaming bloody murder at the top of his lungs and included mutilation of certain body parts of the Genei Ryodan.

So how the hell did he end up becoming the prey in the spider's web instead of the other way around as he had planned?

Seething with anger, not to mention blood pressure going into overload, Kurapika cursed and spat out vicious blasphemies at the tall, raven-haired man currently holding him captive. But since he was gagged, no coherent word could be made out.

"It's no use trying to struggle."

Kurapika's entire stature, despite its awkward position, stiffened in tension at the baritone voice.

"Paku fulfilled what was expected of her. We didn't breach any contract we made. It's your own fault, you failed to predict this outcome."

Kurapika hissed.

It was the calm in the voice of the head of the Genei Ryodan that cut through Kurapika's rambling thoughts. It was quite disturbing the way that Kuroro Lucifer was dealing with the situation that made the Kuruta captive's eyes narrow into slits as he glared at him hatefully from his upside-down position.

It looked as though the Spider's head was used to these kinds of situations and was looking very much like an everyday habit for him to be carrying around hostages across one shoulder while traipsing about in muddy streets amidst the heavy downpour.

Since the chain-assassin was currently gagged and bound at both wrists and ankles, he could only manage to squirm and try to buck himself off—which proved futile since the blasted Spider had caught his waist in a death-grip.

And so he settled with a withering glare instead.

Said captor had the nerve to chuckle at his predicament caused by his own carelessness, making his already overflowing rage multiply tenfold all over again.

"For a girl, you certainly are tougher than you look."

At these words, Kurapika frowned, confusion etched in his snarling face while he assessed his current state.

The wig he had used to impersonate a hotel receptionist was still plastered over his own mane of blonde hair, albeit hanging a bit haphazardly over his head, which meant that his true gender had not yet been revealed. The lavender-colored suit he had 'borrowed' definitely helped conceal his chest, or lack thereof.

Which was good, meaning he still had one upper hand in the situation. It was spoiled, however, when he noticed that the spawn of the devil holding him captive was engaged in a conversation that sounded way too blasé for his own liking.

_Wait a minute. Where the fuck is he taking me?_

His unspoken question was soon answered, for the leader of the spiders was now deep in conversation with his comrades over his cellular phone.

"That's right, I've captured the chain-assassin. Return to the hideout immediately and we'll settle the situation."

_Not if I can help it._

Kurapika glowered as he tried, once more, to buck himself off.

"No, the brats aren't with us," Kuroro explained via cellular phone, "Paku will give you the details when she gets there."

Kurapika froze.

_Gon. Killua._

He'd never forgive himself if anything had happened to those two. It was because of his carelessness that led to their confinement. Thank God he'd managed to save them from those savages even if it meant his own capture in return.

The exchange of hostages was made after he'd struck the bargain with Pakunoda. It was his own miscalculations that he neglected to call in a temporary truce during the entire ordeal, which was also the reason why he was completely caught off guard when a startling presence presented itself behind him and suddenly grabbed him by the waist.

Senritsu had immediately exclaimed a sharp warning, Leorio's bellow of outrage filled the vicinity, alerting Gon and Killua, but it had already been too late.

The Spider head had easily plucked him off the runway of the airstrip before he was able to get aboard the airship, managing to evade Gon and Killua's immediate haste to retrieve him when they realized their folly.

Said Spider leader had immediately hightailed it out of the runway with his female comrade with Kurapika's petrified form slung over one shoulder as they practically phased out of Gon and Killua's line of vision. Pakunoda had already moved ahead of them in compliance with their Danchou's orders, thus Kurapika was irrevocably stuck with his worst enemy, the Genei Ryodan's head, for the time being.

It was a stupid move on his part, he knew now, when he'd used Chain Jail on the Genei Ryodan head, he'd failed to permanently seal his enemy's nen upon his release of the chains. A price he'd have to pay for the grievous error he'd committed on his part.

Kurapika's senses were going into overload, mainly because he had been in his Red-Eyes state for far too long a period of time that of which was already draining most of his nen reserves. Knowing he'd have to wait out the situation, his pupils dilated and contracted into a flash of brilliant red, before returning to its normal blue color.

Sensing that his nen was rapidly depleting by the second and his stamina speedily dropping to its lowest point, he slumped wearily in his position and passed out in exhaustion.

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Halliwell Boulevard, York Shin City 

_19:51 PM_

_+(Kuroro POV)+_

Turning at a corner of the deserted street, he felt the weight over his shoulder contract like a tight bow before the sagging against his taller frame.

_Finally._

His prey had passed out.

It was disturbing to say in the least that the one who had managed to kill the strongest member of their group in terms of physical strength had been a girl, not to mention a pint-sized one at that.

Not that the chain-assassin was _that_ vertically-challenged, but the body was indeed compact and slim, and relatively small compared to his own height of 5' 11", not to mention Ubogin's towering monstrous size, it was definitely an amazing feat that she had managed to _capture_, let alone eliminate, one of their best fighters.

The girl had definitely not been graced with active pituitary glands and had obviously gotten stuck on the growth gap years as she had yet to hit a mark on pituitary glands, but she sure packed one hell of a right hook despite her puny size—he had the bruises on his face, a swollen left cheek, a whopping black-eye, and a throbbing jaw to vouch for that.

The chain-assassin was definitely not to be taken lightly, he had to know of course, as it was pure dumb luck that he managed to escape the Chain Jail. The girl certainly knows how to handle herself, Kuroro mused to himself as he recalled the sealing abilities executed by the contraption when he'd been imprisoned in them.

But for the grace of a dying windstorm and the congestion of vehicles in York Shin City, managed to elude the two brats tailing him with a vengeance when he'd snatched the chain-assassin right from under their noses. If he had moved a millisecond later than that, he would've been dead and buried by now as he already figured out the quick reflexes of the chain-assassin.

Come to think of it, if looks could kill, he would've been dead and writhing for a thousand times by now with the chilling glares the chain-assassin had given him upon his capture at the sudden dramatic change of tables.

Tightening the grip on his captive's waist, he shifted his lightweight load over his arms and carried the sleeping assassin in bridal-style fashion while he contemplated the events. He'd bet all his assets that the pretty thing hardly weighed more than a ton, considering the fact that he break a sweat and might as well be carrying a feather pillow for all the 'weight' the girl had put on, chains and all. Kuroro snorted, girls and their constant obsession with skinniness. Adding a few more pounds to the dead weight in his arms wouldn't strain him a bit.

His thoughts trailed off, and pondered over certain far more important matters.

First, the chain-assassin was obviously the last surviving member of the Kuruta tribe. Those eerie red orbs glaring into his very soul but a few moments ago were proof of that.

Second, this merciless killer had managed to take down Ubo, who is thrice her size and weight with probably the hardest and toughest hide ever. Nobunaga will definitely blow a fuse at this. Then again, the chains used by this person was created from gugenka (materialization) nen, and managed to seal even his own similar form of nen, rendering his abilities useless and thus forcing him to go into zetsu almost immediately.

Third, he'd felt the fluctuation of the chain-user's nen rise dramatically higher than usual when those eyes glowed bright red, not to mention that his nen capabilities rose to a hundred percent in all aspects. Meaning he won't be able to steal this one's ability, since it requires the participation of certain body parts to be able to unleash its full potential. The Red-Eyes definitely have a lot of say in this.

Fourth, in addition to gugenka, the chain-user also has tokushitsu abilities. Indeed they share many common aspects. The kusari-wielder will certainly be none too happy about this fact.

Lastly, if this one indeed managed to take out Ubo and still remains standing, not to mention breathing, then she is certainly worthy of earning a place in the Spider.

Kuroro paused in mid-thought, Nobunaga would not only blow a fuse at the mere suggestion of this, he'd sooner swallow lumps of burning coals and turn cartwheels in front of Hisoka rather than accept added insult to injury on his damnable pride. Next to Ubogin, the samurai had some serious anger-management issues to consider.

The samurai would definitely scream bloody murder and go on a high-strung rampage from hell worthy of Ubo's infamous tantrums rather than accept the fact that the chain-user was a worthy candidate to join their group. Hell, it'd probably take the superhuman effort of combined Franklin and Phinx to restrain Nobunaga's anticipated 'outburst'.

_Hell, Ubo, why did you have to go and die on us?_

Resentment was not a familiar emotion to Kuroro Lucifer, after all, it was his detachment to feelings and emotions that was essentially what constituted to him into becoming the leader of Spider. He'd felt no grief or remorse over the loss of his comrade, but only acknowledged the loss of a valuable asset who contributed to the code of the group. Therefore, he felt no intense anger towards the chain-assassin, only a sense of curiosity at the unimaginable feat he'd managed to take down Ubo.

He'd felt his load squirm slightly in his embrace and emitted a low groan. The sound was guttural and strained, if there was any indication that the chain-assassin was exhausted beyond recognition, it was the fact that he was sleeping soundly on his enemy's chest without any preamble.

Kuroro had a feeling the girl would rather be caught dead and rolling in spitfire than find herself in a compromising position with him. The term 'fraternizing with the enemy' rings a few bells, but it was the least of his worries.

-----------------------------------------

"Hanase! I'll kill that blasted chain-assassin even if it's the last thing I'll do!"

To say that Nobunaga had taken it all in a stride was an understatement. Hell, even cantankerous was a light term to describe the enraged sword fighter. He looked downright bloody furious.

As predicted, Nobunaga's outburst topped it all off again. Said rampaging swordsman had immediately gone on a series of explosive tirades, which had droned on despite the fact that he'd told the hotheaded samurai to shut his trap in an already none-too-subtle way when he felt the beginnings of a headache.

With a throbbing jaw and sporting a still-swollen shiner over his right eye, Kuroro Lucifer could only listen to the heated ranting in silent agony as the samurai member of their group burst out in another series of ear-splitting tirades, raising his hideously sore voice above the din.

Phinx's arms were currently engaged in a death-grip headlock over the berserk samurai's neck in an attempt to restrain the hotheaded swordsman while Franklin's massive arms locked Nobunaga's arms in place.

Pakunoda stood squarely on fallen debris of collapsed pillars beside their leader while keeping an eye on the unconscious form of Kurapika lying on the barren floor of the abandoned warehouse. Kuroro had given specific instructions to remove the chains confining their prisoner right after he'd placed the dead weight in front of her, and Pakunoda was already beginning to doubt the wisdom of their leader's decision and was tempted to question his sanity as of this very moment. After all, pandemonium was bound to break loose.

Coltopi, Shizuku and Machi observed the entire scenario sitting on a slab of fallen walls across the other side of the squabbling trio. The healer was sporting a frown on her face, while Coltopi sat cross-legged and watched the exchange boredly, well, as best as what the healer could decipher from her companion's face since the hair resembling somebody's mop, covered most parts of her face save one bulging eye. Shizuku, the resident airhead, only looked on as she idly thumbed a book between her fingers.

Hisoka, perverse creature that he is, didn't blink twice at the commotion and continued building his stack of cards at the topmost slab of concrete inside the wasted area, mumbling something about 'jaded barmaids' and 'bespectacled binoculars' amusedly to himself. Bonorenofu, the resident mummy, was as usual silent as a tomb during the entire ruckus.

The day just simply had to get better.

"This girl was the one who killed Ubo?" Phinx blurted out, disbelief written all over his stern face.

"Who cares if it's a fucking girl! I'll kill her still!"

Pakunoda nearly missed the implication of that statement, and her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. She averted her gaze and dared to spare their leader an exasperated look. And nearly fell off from her standby position when the look on their leader's face clearly showed that he was also oblivious to the fact that their chain-assassin was male, and not quite the opposite.

"Cut it out, Nobunaga," Franklin squeezed the samurai's ribs in warning.

"I'll do and say as I please! Now get these posts you call hands off me before I cut them off!" Nobunaga's bellow of outrage was drowned out when Franklin tightened his hold even more.

"Danchou told us to wait, so we wait," Franklin grunted.

"Loosen up the hold a bit, Franklin, you're cutting off Nobu's air supply. Look, he's turning purple," Shalnark muttered offhandedly.

"I'll guarantee you it's not because of lack of oxygen in his lungs. It's just his blood pressure blowing the lid off," Phinx retorted sarcastically.

"Nobu, calm down before you burst a capillary."

"Shut up and let me go, you overgrown bafoon!"

A low crack was heard above the din as Nobunaga cussed, feeling his already sore ribs tighten once more. Shalnark and Phinx visibly winced when they'd heard the snapping sound of bending bones.

"Who's a bafoon?"

"You!" came an indignant reply.

"And what would you call Ubo?"

"A baboon."

Nobunaga scowled.

It was Feitan, the sadistic freak, who'd answered, managing to lighten the tense atmosphere between the two and smiles blessedly cracked out on the once-stern faces of the Genei Ryodan members since the Danchou's arrival with the chain-assassin.

Kuroro watched the entire escapade with thinly veiled amusement, though his facial expression betrayed none of his inner sentiments.

Shalnark, on the other hand, was currently in deep concentration typing away at his laptop at top speed to gather information about the Hunter license card they'd found on the chain-assassin's prone body. Feitan now kept suggesting gruesome ways to finish off their prey in delighted anticipation, not to mention listing them off one by one in detail.

A loud thwacking sound echoed throughout the barrage of noise. Moments later, Feitan was sporting yet another swollen forehead when three members of the feared Genei Ryodan had simultaneously bopped and cuffed him on the head— mainly Machi, Phinx and dubiously, Franklin, respectively.

"Shut it, Feitan."

Feitan scowled, rubbed his head but nevertheless complied and muttered an intelligible oath under his breath.

Franklin, who had managed to restrain the still-raving Nobunaga with one massive arm while barking out orders to shut Nobunaga and Feitan up, suddenly tossed the unsuspecting samurai to the equally unsuspecting Phinx, who had abandoned the earlier futile attempt to calm down the enraged samurai, and was now forced to resume his former position—that of keeping the ballistic samurai in check.

"What the fuck was that for, Franklin?" Nobunaga barked out right after a string of curses.

"Quiet."

It was then that they realized that Pakunoda had leapt down from her position and had her hands tensed in preparation of the upcoming onslaught.

Alertness heightened tenfold over the group as they watched their captive's attempts to move.

"Shh, sleeping beauty's waking up," Feitan taunted.

"No shit, Sherlock," came Phinx's smart retort, thus making Feitan's eyes narrow in irritation.

The object of their watchful stares soon stirred from his slumbering position on the cold floor.

Kurapika was quick to regain his senses, but his body, still worn-out from his previous activities, was a bit slower to recover but nonetheless managed to keep up with his mind. Using the palm of his left hand, he braced his weight and lifted his body off the ground with one graceful push.

Sensing the presence of other auras in the room, and that he was being watched carefully, the Kuruta raised his eyes to scan the room.

His line of vision landed on Pakunoda, and in automation, his eyes glowed into a bright, scarlet red shade as he snarled, nen rising dramatically off the scale and whipped out his Judgment Chain, poised and ready to attack at will.

"Move and you die."

Kurapika froze in mid-stroke, chains dangling wildly from his fingers as his nen level went haywire at eye contact with the samurai who had spoken the harsh order. He calculated his moves as gears in his brain moved on its own accord in response to his untimely presence in hostile grounds. One vital mistake would prove to be fatally dangerous.

"Well, well, well. The lady certainly has a temper," a sly voice drawled out from the group.

The Kuruta's eyes narrowed, before digesting the sarcastic remark made by Feitan.

_Lady? What lady?_

Kurapika shook off his train of lost thoughts as they went off track and viciously yanked off the plum-colored wig off his head. After tossing the said wig aside, he used his sleeve to wipe off the lipstick he'd used earlier off his mouth before resuming his killer glare at the group.

A string of incoherent curses erupted from the onlookers. Though some were slower to catch on, but in the end, nearly everyone had the same reaction.

"What the hell-?"

"She's a—"

"Oh fuck me!"

"Onna jane--!"

"Otoko!"

"What in tarnation-!"

"We've been duped!"

Oaths and blasphemies were heard from the cruder male members of the group, while the women remained silent, albeit sporting similar looks of disbelief on their faces.

Even Kuroro had been shocked speechless.

Sure the voice was a bit deeper than that of a female's, but never in a million dreams had it ever crossed his mind that their chain-assassin was a cross-dresser, a darn good one at that, too, since he'd managed to dupe even the head of the Spiders.

Pakunoda was the only one who showed no surprise at the turn of events, as she had already known his true gender from the very beginning by the memories she had gathered from the two boys, Gon and Killua, who were the chain-assassin's friends slash accomplices. Hisoka had been humming for the past few minutes, and hadn't stopped at all when Kurapika disclosed his gender.

To say in the least, all occupants of the room, save Kurapika, Pakunoda and Hisoka, were flabbergasted by the revelation.

"Hell, he looks like a girl!" Phinx was the first one to recover and voice out his opinions aloud.

"_Onna-otoko_," Feitan muttered almost inaudibly under his breath as he stared incredulously at the sight. If it was one thing he couldn't stand, it was cross-dressers.

"He even sounded like one on the phone!" Phinx added as an afterthought as he quickly loosened his hold on the equally stunned Nobunaga as though scalded.

"Point driven across. Thank you. Taken and duly noted, Phinx. You can stop being defensive," Machi retorted sarcastically.

Nobunaga had his mouth hung open wide in disbelief, his jaw slack as he stood perplexed and utterly dumbfounded, with his sword unsheathed, although his grip on the hilt had slackened a little when Kurapika had revealed his true gender.

More similar oaths about the 'onna gata' circled across the room after the commotion.

The sinister-looking leader of the spider stood transfixed by the startling beauty of the chain-assassin, albeit a right down pissed off one at that. When Kurapika had yanked off the wig, revealing golden-blonde hair, he had been captivated by the sheer beauty of the vision, who was also currently glaring daggers at him and his companions. He had been totally unprepared for the sudden surge of lust the blonde evoked within him.

Who knew that under those muddy clothes and mussed-up hair was a pale-faced angel in disguise. No, correction, one extremely pissed off murderous angel who would happily carve murals over their dead, rotting carcasses and hang them all up in a stinking peg for all the care he had in the world if given the choice.

Hah, fat chance. No way in nine hells was he ever going to let that happen. He'd had to know, as he was the spawn of Satan himself. He wasn't called Lucifer for nothing.

When those eyes glowed scarlet and fixed him with a death glare, he was lost as he stared at their fathomless depths, even from a far distance.

He'd felt himself drowning in those crimson depths.

"Genei Ryodan."

Each syllable was enunciated in a downright hard tone of voice laced with venom and dripping with hatred as he uttered it. Kuroro immediately reverted back to his former thoughts, and though totally confused by the emotions his supposed self-proclaimed 'enemy' managed to evoke in him by the mere revelation of his gender, the Spider head managed to squash those foreign and pleasant, albeit unwanted, feelings and concentrate on the matter at hand.

He was, after all, an unfeeling bastard—many of his so-called enemies had proclaimed him to be that, in different words, which connoted the exact same meaning of the term, except each was phrased in a more euphemistic manner.

Kuroro's entire demeanor didn't change.

"Interesting. Indeed a surprising turn of events," Kuroro murmured.

"Looks can be deceiving," Kurapika spat out harshly as his spine stiffened rigidly.

Nobunaga, who'd manage to recover, was now brandishing his sword in a swing of arms as he could no longer contain his anger and exploded, "Chain-assassin, it's time for you to pay for what you did to Ubo!"

Kurapika's crimson eyes swung over to the owner of the voice, the glowing red orbs burning with loath and hatred, "What I did to him was nothing compared to the vile deeds you've done."

Nobunaga, red with uncontrolled rage, gave a guttural war cry and launched a swift attack at Kurapika.

The Kuruta caught the blade in mid-swing with his chains, using it as an anchor to yank Nobunaga off balance and throw him off.

"Kisama…" the samurai easily dodged one of the chains that whipped out lashing against him and executed another assault.

"Enough."

Kurapika and Nobunaga both froze in mid-parry, the blonde's right arm extended in preparation of a counterattack as he executed a graceful somersault; as for Nobunaga, his knuckles were already turning white from his grip on the sword's hilt.

Interrupted, the two combatants could only turn their heads toward the source of the voice.

"But Danchou!" Nobunaga started.

"Nobu, you attacked without asking permission. Now stand back, he is not to be harmed. Yet," Kuroro's steely voice had a lethally sharp edge to it.

Miffed at being put off by their Danshou, the blustering swordsman re-sheathed his sword and stormed back to their group, obviously still stewing in contempt at the missed opportunity to finish off the Kuruta.

Baffled by the sudden intervention of the reputed leader of the Spiders, Kurapika could only growl low in his throat when he'd felt an unfamiliar surge of heat gathering at the pit of his stomach as he glowered wearily at the approaching figure of Kuroro Lucifer.

_(To be continued…)_

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**Notes:** Sixteen bloody pages! Man, am I exhausted. And I've already started working on the second chapter. Furthermore, do not question me about spellings on 'Danchou' or the Japanese terms I've used… I know what I'm doing. Nihongo is my bloody major. Reviews are most welcome of course, likewise, suggestions and opinions are also very much needed.

**Terms:**

1. _Kusari_ - chain

2. _Hanase _– 'let go'

3. _Danchou_ – literally means 'team leader'; term used by the Genei Ryodan to refer to Kuroro

4. _Onna-jane_ – translated as 'not female'

5. _Otoko_ – male

6. _Onna-otoko_ – a term used to refer to males who have distinct physical features similar to those of females—usually the facial features and body structure

7. _Onna gata_ – this term is used in Kabuki, a form of traditional Japanese stage drama, for male actors who portrayed female roles in the play (women weren't allowed to act on stage back then)

8. _Kisama_ – an impolite/rude form of 'you'; commonly known as a swear word usually used by men in referral to the person they speak to (usually to other men as well)

**Explanations:** Okay, first things first, the reason why I used the pronoun 'she' when referring to Kurapika is because Kuroro still thought their chain-assassin was female—Kurapika didn't take off his disguise just yet during the entire negotiation, and obviously, Kuroro isn't the perverse type to actually feel up prone and unconscious bodies to find out their gender, that's gotta be more of Hisoka's line (though I doubt the freak, a gorgeous one at that, would actually do it). I didn't the use the Nihongo equivalent of 'chain-assassin' because it sounds right down weird (Aw c'mon… kusari ansatsusha?) Hopefully, succeeding chapters will be up and about in around a few weeks, months or so. I'm a pretty slow writer, as I end up editing my work most of the time and end up spending a hell lot of time polishing up.


	2. Restless Confinement

**Title: _Blood Pact_**

**Author:** Blitz Magnus

**Chapter:** 2?

**Status:** completed

**Pairings:** future Kuroro x Kurapika

**Genre:** Romance/Humor + a bit of Drama/Adventure

**Warnings:** This fic contains shounen-ai (male x male relationship). So if you don't and can't stomach this kind of genre, don't read. Characters are major OOC. This is a product of boredom, an endless spiral of empty space, and a lame attempt at making fiction. You have been forewarned, so no flames regarding these matters.

**Rating: **PG-13 (T)

**Disclaimer:** _Hunter x Hunter_© original story and characters belong not to me, but to the legendary Yoshihiro Togashi.

**Author's Notes:** The timeline is set at the end of the OVA, right after Kuroro's capture by Kurapika, and picks up in between the OVA and the Greed Island arc. The events of the story take place after the negotiations between Pakunoda and Kurapika are over, as well as the exchange of hostages. Changes made in the actual series for the purpose of writing this fic are as follows: 1.) Kurapika was not able to seal Kuroro's nen during Kuroro's confinement, 2.) Kurapika did not take off his disguise as a female hotel receptionist during the entire confrontation between him and the Danchou, 3.) Pakunoda never revealed Kurapika's weakness to the spiders (meaning she didn't die), 4.) Hisoka has yet to uncover his betrayal to the Genei Ryodan (meaning he didn't show up during the hostage exchange).

**Summary:** With Gon and Killua safely back into the fold and out of harm's way after negotiations with the Genei Ryodan were concluded, Kuroro Lucifer makes his move on the unsuspecting Kurapika and roped him into becoming a part of them, indirectly, on the aftermath of their encounter. Kurapika, in turn, manages to learn more about the Kuruta Red-Eyes in his stay with the Genei Ryodan and he's less than happy with the results as he got more than what he'd bargained for. Never did he dream that he'd turn into one of them, and things get more complicated when he realized he'd fallen for the enemy.

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Chapter Two: Restless Confinement 

Approximately one second and ten milliseconds, that was all it took for him to snuff the life out of the half-breed caveman named Ubogin. Their fight lasted for about three minutes before he'd manage to seal off the half-giant's nen with his Chain Jail and impaled the Judgment Chain in the war-freak caveman's heart.

Gears were working at a breakneck pace in his brain as he calculated his next move. Surely it will be a next to impossible feat to take down the ENTIRE Genei Ryodan with one simple stroke and get away unscathed in the process even if he were successful in maintaining his Red-Eyes state at top body condition for a longer period of time for him to be able to execute Emperor Time.

He could certainly count on Hisoka to sit this one out, since the perverted clown sporting a lopsided grin would, predictably, completely ignore his attempts unless directly ordered to attack by their Danchou. But successfully taking on Kuroro, the rampaging eccentric swordsman, Pakunoda, Phinx, Machi, the miniature bat-like bandit and the Frankenstein wannabe, was a like snowball's chance in hell.

But then again, who's counting?

The footsteps subsided, and Kurapika focused his attention on Kuroro even as he tried to divide his concentration on different tasks at hand.

"You killed Ubogin, one of the Genei Ryodan."

It was not an accusation, just a mere statement of facts. The deadpan expression on Kuroro's face told him nonetheless.

If Kurapika was surprised by Kuroro's conviction, or lack thereof, he didn't show it.

"How?"

The blonde's crimson eyes burned brightly as he raised his arm and extended it in a ramrod straightforward position.

"The same way I did to capture you."

It was as Kuroro predicted, though he was inwardly impressed by the blonde's skills, he still mulled the fact that the chain-user obviously managed to use all types of nen, thus irrevocably making him a gugenka as well as a tokushitsu. Indeed a most promising asset if properly trained and sharpened even more.

"Danchou."

It was Pakunoda who'd spoken this time.

Kuroro's eyes never wavered from his stare at the seething blonde.

"I loathe you."

Kuroro didn't even miss a heartbeat, he'd heard it one too many times already.

"Why?" Nobunaga chose that very same moment to butt in the already tense conversation.

God's teeth, was he that dense? Kuroro very nearly raised an eyebrow at Nobunaga's slow-wittedness in grasping the situation.

"Kuruta."

"The Scarlet Eyes," Kuroro mumbled thoughtfully.

Kurapika snarled, "So you _do_ remember."

Kuroro said nothing in response but continued to study the blonde's behavior.

"I take it that you are after revenge?"

The ticking muscle in Kurapika's jaw was indication that the answer to that was affirmative.

Kuroro suddenly turned to Shizuku and issued out an order.

"Shizuku, get the eyes."

A chorus of violent objections elicited from Phinx and Nobunaga, and Shizuku, obedient girl that she was, rummaged through a large velvet pouch sitting between her and Coltopi for the eyes.

Moments later, Kurapika was presented with a pair of Kuruta Scarlet Eyes preserved in its cylindrical glass containers.

"How the hell did you—"

"The pair the Nostrad family received from the auction was merely a nen replica, it's probably vanished into thin air by now," Kuroro explained.

Kurapika grinded his teeth together, "Curse you."

"However, I am willing to propose a deal. In exchange for the pair of Scarlet Eyes that we currently have in our possession, you'll replace Ubogin in the group."

"I'd sooner let a poisonous snake bite me rather than join your band of cutthroats!"

"My sentiments exactly," Nobunaga muttered.

"You've just agreed that we're merely insignificant cutthroats, Nobu," Shalnark pointed out.

Nobunaga refused to be baited by the jibe.

"Are you serious, Danchou! Replace Ubo with _HIM_!" Nobunaga's strangled voice raised a few octaves higher than usual as he pointed an accusing finger at the equally scowling Kurapika.

"Over my dead body."

"He's right, over _his_ dead body," Feitan cackled maliciously.

A disconcerting thwack was heard, as Feitan had once again been clobbered with a barrage of irritated slaps and kicks to his recently injured head.

"This is no time for jests!"

The Kuruta's heavy breathing filled the room, and getting back into track, he snarled out, "In a million dreams, bastard. I loathe your very existence."

A change of tactics was in order, Kuroro delved into that conclusion when the Kuruta literally spat the words to his face. The Ryodan leader turned on his heel and motioned for the rest of the members to retreat. After the rustle of clothes, Kuroro had already seated himself on his usual sitting place amidst the rubble with a pleasant smile gracing his lips as he sized up the furious blonde.

"In case you don't understand the circumstances. We have the upper hand in this, and I've just given you a temporary reprieve."

"What makes you think I'll—"

"One word from me and your friends won't live long enough to see the sun," Kuroro said quietly.

Kurapika froze, eyes glittering dangerously, "Son of a bitch."

Hisoka, who'd been dallying around the entire time, perked up at the sudden change of tune. He'd turned his capricious beady eyes to pay attention to the Danchou's next words—as it concerned one certain prey he'd been interested in for quite some time now.

"It's your choice. Their death or you join us."

Nobunaga had opened his mouth to complain, but Phinx and Pakunoda held out their arms to deter him from advancing on and beat him to it.

"Shouldn't it be the entire Genei Ryodan's choice as well, Danchou?"

Kuroro only leveled a pokerfaced stare at them, "Do you have faith in me as your leader?"

"You know we always do."

"Then trust my judgment."

Turning back to Kurapika, he issued the ultimatum, smirk wiped off his face, which was completely devoid of emotion, "So, do you accept my proposal?"

Mentally berating himself once again for being careless, Kurapika could only nod, his brain adamantly refusing to further endanger Gon and Killua's lives. It was enough that their lives were at stake here, no point in causing any other harm to them due to his stubbornness.

"Fine. What are your terms?"

"I want you to use your Judgment Chain on yourself, so you won't be able to go back on our agreement."

The blonde stiffened and bristled at the term 'agreement'. It was an outright form of coercion, and no way in hell was it to be even considered as an agreement, he wasn't even given a damn choice over the matter.

"You place restrictions for you to be able to use the tokushitsu ability, don't you? I would know, we share the same form of nen."

Kurapika looked downright pissed at this piece of information. Having something in common with the one person he hated above all definitely did not sit well with him.

From this day forward, you will be required to use your nen to serve the group, and you will not, in any form or means attack anyone in this group."

"I'm afraid that would contradict the restrictions of my own nen."

"Alter it."

"I can't," Kurapika bit out.

"Alright. Add these to your restrictions then: First, you may attack and finish off anyone outside of Spider with a desire to kill you. Second, if you are attacked, directly or indirectly, by any one of the Spider one way or the other, as I have no complete control over their actions," Kuroro spared a baleful glance at Nobunaga, Feitan and Phinx at this point, "you may counterattack only in self-defense unless I give orders not to. In cases of disputes between members, these will resolved by using this," he flipped a silver coin at Kurapika who caught it in mid-air.

"What the hell is this?"

"Spider or web. A simple rule, choose a side and state your condition, and if the side you've chosen corresponds to that of the flipped coin, you win the argument, no questions asked."

"I'll keep that in mind." Kurapika would bet anything he'd only have to use it on the bloodthirsty samurai who was after his head right now.

"Lastly, you are allowed to fight anyone in this group only after you've gained my permission. Is that clear?"

"Crystal," Kurapika replied curtly.

"Do it."

"May I remind you that the conditions regarding our _deal_," Kurapika sneered the word, "will also apply to _you_. If you harm Gon or Killua in any form or way, my Judgment Chain will automatically impale itself in your heart and kill you instantly."

"Breach of contract," Kuroro smiled, "By all means, do so."

Simmering with undiffused anger, Kurapika released the Judgment Chain and dictated the conditions stated by the Danchou. Kurapika and Kuroro both jolted from the impact of the chain as it imbedded itself in their hearts.

"Done. Anything else?" the blonde snapped out sarcastically.

"Since you are a tokushitsu, you are able to use Kyouka (strengthen) not only for yourself but for others as well, one of your main purposes will be rendering healing services to injured members of the group."

"And just how big are the chances that one of you might get injured?" Kurapika sneered once more.

"Pretty slim."

"Pity."

The ebony-haired man ignored the last comment, "In your tokushitsu form, you have the ability to 'browse' for anyone or anything you want to look for, am I correct?"

A miniscule nod, "Provided that I am given a concrete description of what I'm looking for."

"Good enough. That ability will come in handy."

His reply was the briefest of growls.

"Phase one conducted, you're more or less one of us now," Kuroro had obviously thought this was to be considered as an initiation of passage rights to him, and was now a cause of celebration.

Kurapika had the strongest urge to heave himself off the ground and slam him body into the nearest stone slab to end his life almost that instant.

"And one more thing. You're not allowed to hurt yourself."

Trust the blasted man to further torment and screw up his life.

Oh yes, hanging would indeed be a good option by now. He was half-anticipating someone to hold a shotgun over his head and yell 'April Fools' Day' right now.

"Welcome to —" Shalnark started.

"Do not even dare to _think_ about finishing that sentence," Kurapika snarled out, sparing him the slightest of frowns.

The computer genius shrank back at the intense glares and scowls given to him by Nobunaga, Phinx, Machi and the chain-assassin.

For the second time around that day, the Genei Ryodan and Kurapika had something to agree about.

Indeed a miracle if they ever saw one.

---------------------------------------------------

Living with the Genei Ryodan was about as peaceful as a hammock in full swing during a hurricane tsunami sweeping over erupting volcanoes. Pandemonium broke loose nearly every day that he'd reached the conclusion that it was indeed a miracle he'd managed to wake up on a narrow bed and find the sleeping quarters still intact after bouts of horrid abuse from its occupants.

At first he'd been horrified to find out he'd have to sleep beside the Danchou as a precaution for him not to escape, but when he'd realized there were two separate sleeping pallets lying on the floor, he started breathing normally again.

One day into his stay and his burning throat was getting sore from abstinence of shouting at the top of his voice. He was straining to tear his hair out by the end of the third hour. His fingers were itching to strangle someone by now, and the most likely candidate was the culprit who'd landed him in this situation in the very place. His eyelid twitched visibly when the accursed man had strolled past him to the adjoining chamber.

The Genei Ryodan was just a much deadlier form of Leorio's brash attitude and rudeness, Gon and Killua's sloppiness, and Hanzo's bucket of fish when it came to the definition of a weird sense of humor. He also had not forgotten the fact that he was currently living under the same roof with the very people who had wiped out his entire clan.

In his opinion, having to deal with Killua's hysterical cyborg mother Kikyou, creepy brother Illumi, drill sergeant father Silva and outright eccentric grandpa Zeno, pitch in gigantic wolf Mike, without batting an eyelash over the deed looked brighter indeed. At least they were predictable: live only to kill. Come to think of it, the entire Zaoldyeck family had looked very much like trained animals compared to this loud, insufferable group, at least there was always calm and quiet in the Zaoldyeck terrain of Kukulu Mountain, while in Genei Ryodan, chaos and disorder seem to rule the 'household'.

It was no secret that he was terribly uneasy around them, but even if he was, his facial expression of icy mask and stony silence certainly was no indicator of it. The female members usually just ignored him and left him alone to ponder, but Nobunaga, Phinx and Feitan took on every opportunity to taunt him and never failed to attempt to make his life as miserable as hell. It's not as if it weren't already hell for him, after all, he was the one who had to stomach living with his most hated enemies and couldn't do anything to kill them.

Shalnark and Kuroro had been the most diplomatic among them, in Shalnark he'd found a kindred spirit in terms of wit, resource and academic skills. Through the computer genius he'd managed to hack into inaccessible areas of the Hunter website. Pity he was the enemy, else they would've made a handsome pair of academicians, but to be fair, Shalnark had actually been the first to 'befriend' him, so he'd somewhat allowed himself to tolerate the other man's presence.

As for Kuroro, well, he was just plain weird. If Hisoka was any indication of dementedness and psychotic disorder, not to mention perverted, Kuroro was exactly the opposite.

He was the silent, brooding type, never the one to cause an argument, but always the one solving it. He'd shown his remarkable intelligence to Kurapika by simply overriding arguments he'd made, debated with him about the Mafia, and grudgingly, earned a miniscule of respect from him when he had seen the Danchou's variety of books ranging from arts to politics in his impressive mini-library. Kuroro, to say in the least, had the most brilliant mind, a master strategist and tactician, not to mention very, very persuasive about his own thoughts.

The two usually end up sparring to heated arguments every night before one of them—Kurapika usually, huffed off and retreated to sleep.

Once or twice he'd caught the enigmatic man staring at him with undecipherable emotions flickering across those enormous eyes of his. It had been creepy, to say in the least, that he was being watched as a hunter would a prey. He'd have to be on his guard 24/7 all right.

--------------------------------

It was well a week in his stay when Shalnark approached him to discuss a few household responsibilities with him. Though Kurapika had sworn inwardly to himself that the group had the most warped-up sense of common duties.

"We usually team up in groups of two or three when we work on missions."

"……"

"It makes the work easier."

"……"

"Aren't you just the talkative one?" Shalnark felt like talking to a brick wall proved to be more exciting than getting a reaction out of this one.

His resort to sarcasm hadn't worked wonders, and he was beginning to wonder if he was having a loose screw in his head for agreeing to brief the newest, albeit coerced, addition to their group about their house rules.

But anyway, he droned on, pointedly ignoring the fact that his sole audience was skilled enough to give rocks lessons in silence, "We take turns in kitchen duty here as well, we don't have to worry about household hygiene though, that's Shizuku's job. Mind you, don't let Phinx or Feitan touch anything in the kitchen, things tend to blow up whenever they're within near proximity of kitchen utensils. Hisoka won't bother eating with us though, he's a bit of an eyesore and might make everyone lose their appetite if he shows up, besides, his warped up mind tends to make him wander off into some other secluded place during dinnertime."

"Coltopi, Machi, Paku and I make decent meals, though Nobunaga doesn't blow up the kitchen, he'll kill you with his cooking. The best cook here is Danchou, so Fridays and Saturdays are a blast."

Another pregnant pause filled the room as Kurapika stonily kept silent.

Shalnark was now badly in need of a cigarette, even if he didn't smoke, "On Mondays Paku and Machi work on breakfast and dinner. Tuesdays we have to put up with whatever concoction Franklin and Nobu throw inside the pot. Wednesdays Coltopi and I deal with dinner, so that isn't so bad. As for Bonorenofu… don't expect much from him either, his culinary skills range from chances of Phinx dancing ballet in tutus to Nobunaga blowing bagpipes in December, but at least he doesn't blow up everything within range of sight in the kitchen. Thursdays we go for takeout, though nearly everyone sits this one out. Sundays we have our own free time, so you can spend it any way you want."

"Here's the deal, you share kitchen duty with Danchou on Fridays and Saturdays. You don't have to worry about cleaning the dishes or setting and clearing up the table, that's Shizuku's forte."

"Is this thing compulsory?" Kurapika murmured absently when Franklin had lumbered down the hallway, making the ground shake in his wake.

"It talks!" Shalnark cried out and nearly threw his hands up in relief, "I think I need a beer."

"For what?"

"Celebration. And yes, it's compulsory. By the way, you do know that you'll be partnered with the Danchou on missions now, don't you?"

"Yes," though Kurapika wished the earth would crack open and swallow him up whole right now.

"Enough badgering then, I'll get to work on that new console of Greed Island we got, so I'll leave you alone now."

"Wait. Greed Island?"

"Yeah, we got about three copies three days ago when you went out like a bulb down with that fever. Speaking of which, what was that all about?"

Kurapika refused to answer that question.

"Okay, okay, I get the picture. You don't have to kill me with that glare," Shalnark muttered when Kurapika's stern glare zeroed in on him again.

Three days ago, he had been practicing his nen on a makeshift dummy inside the unoccupied room of the abandoned warehouse when Nobunaga and Phinx had crept up and scared the living daylights out of him by throwing a rubber life-like eyeball at the wall in front of him, not knowing they'd unleash a monster.

The rubber replica of the eyeball's pupil was painted bright red when it had rolled towards his left foot.

He hadn't known that his vision had turned red, his pupils contracted and glowed the same color of that of the rubber eyeball, only, it was a lot brighter. Fangs bared, Kurapika had turned around within the blink of an eye and unleashed the Judgment Chain to the wall perpendicular to the duo.

Breathing harshly, his aura emanated an eerie glow, tokushitsu going into overdrive as the waves slashed around him, with his hair prickling up like that of a wild, untamed beast. Nobunaga had immediately wanted to take him on, but was held up by Sphinx.

"Cut it out, Nobu. Danchou'll have our heads on a platter if we provoke him further."

Kurapika's instincts had instantly told him to go on a killing rampage, but was held in check when he felt the tip of the Judgment Chain imbedded in his heart tighten a bit.

"Get out of my sight."

He settled on a harsh, but calm and forceful order instead, "Get out before I change my mind and decapitate you."

Kuroro had chosen that moment to intervene, as he stepped in and immediately hushed the sputtering Nobunaga.

Chest still heaving in controlled rage, Kurapika suddenly swayed to one side, emitting a startled look from Kuroro and Pakunoda—who'd also come to investigate the commotion.

His world blackened when he felt intense cold seeping into his entire body, making him shiver before he keeled over and collapsed on the ground.

The next thing he knew, he was laid down on his pallet and his vision had doubled as exhaustion swept over him. He recalled that he had somehow groggily seen Kuroro's usually stoic face set in a worried frown as he hovered above him. After that, he was pitched back into darkness again.

-----------------------------------------------------------

"…… imbecile."

"Puny brat."

"I say we finish him off right now!"

"Shut your trap, Nobunaga."

"He's pathetic. A fever and he's down like that?"

"I don't think it's just an ordinary fever," Machi had spoken quietly.

"It might have something to do with those red eyes of his."

Kurapika had drifted from slumber to semi-conscious for two days, and caught snippets of conversation outside his quarters before being muffled by the sound of a closing door.

The source of his fever was unknown by the rest of the members, but Kurapika had known, his ailment had been caused by hypertension, since he's been on the edge for days now, on the brink of despair in getting out of this mess. He had also known his stamina weakened faster when he was in Red-Eyes state, as pent-up rage flooded and overcame his senses. He'd known that the Kuruta Scarlet Eyes was unique in their own way, thus the price of added strength and ability in Red-Eyes state meant the rapid loss of self-control and stamina. And when one lived with the Spiders, the only time he allowed his eyes to revert back to their normal blue color was when nobody else was in a room with him or when he sleeps.

It was exactly five hours ago when he'd woken up after his fever had broken. Kurapika had been mortified and astounded to find Kuroro sleeping on an overstuffed couch beside his sleeping pallet while keeping a silent vigil over him.

His voice had come out in a croak when he tried to speak, and Kuroro had immediately bolted out of the chair to tend to him.

Kuroro's actions completely left Kurapika dumbfounded. Why was he, his enemy whom he had sworn to kill, concerned about his health? The Spider head had actually looked sincerely worried about him.

"How are you feeling?" Kuroro asked after helping him sit up.

"Fine."

After giving him an I-don't-believe-you look, Kuroro handed the frazzled blonde a glass of cool water, "Drink."

Feeling more exhausted than rebellious, Kurapika obediently sipped from the outreached glass to conserve the minimal strength left in him.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

During his second week of stay, exactly three days after his recovery, he'd been delegated to the task of preparing dinner in Franklin and Nobunaga's place after they found out that Kurapika's cooking skills had been honed to range near perfection next to that of the Danchou's—which also meant that he'd be in the same room with Franklin and Nobunaga—with Nobunaga there to guard his movements and Franklin to act as a buffer for the two, since putting the two together in the same room spelled 'strife' in its most profound meaning.

When Kurapika had given a list of grocery items needed to Franklin one fateful day, Nobunaga had burst out in a rant, ranging from 'how dare you order us around' to 'we will not be lowered to female menial tasks such as buying groceries'.

At this point, Pakunoda and Machi had given Nobunaga withering glares with that statement (the two female members had grudgingly admitted that their culinary skills were put to shame by the blonde and now held him with a sufficient amount of respect in a different light).

Five minutes later, Nobunaga and Franklin were en route to the nearest convenience store—Franklin had to drag the kicking and screaming samurai out the front door.

Twenty minutes later than that, Kurapika and Nobunaga were engaged in another bout of yelling and accusations.

"I told you to pay for them!"

"Why bother wasting good money when I'd already managed to 'persuade' the cashier into giving them to me for free?" Nobunaga snapped back testily.

Shalnark had tried to act as referee, but was immediately kicked out by the two.

"You should've insisted to pay!" the computer genius sulked out to Franklin and was now seriously reconsidering his membership to the group when Kurapika had given him an earful.

Franklin had chosen that moment to reply, "That's kind of hard to accomplish, the cashier took one look at me and began filling the bag up without punching in the receipt."

"Stay out of this!" Kurapika and Nobunaga barked out at the same time before resuming their squabble.

Shalnark now had a mouthful of vacant air in the ventilation chamber of his digestive system by the time he heard Kurapika _and_ Nobunaga telling Franklin to butt out. Were the two actually getting along on something?

"Coercion and persuasion are two different matters!" Kurapika practically screamed out.

"I don't have to listen to you berate me about these insignificant details!"

"Perhaps you're just too slow to pick up what was addressed to you," Kurapika, knowing where this was headed, decided to goad the enraged samurai further. Being rational when it came to him was never in Nobunaga's vocabulary anyway, perhaps he should have a little bit more fun at the samurai's expense.

"What the hell was that!"

"You heard me. Are you hearing impaired as well or are you just intellectually challenged?" Kurapika taunted. He'd been itching to have a go at the asshole from day one, why not take this chance to make it happen?

"Nah, he's just slow to catch up."

Trust Feitan to further enrage the steaming samurai to make things a bit livelier for them.

Nobunaga had already unsheathed his sword after landing a resounding bump with the scabbard on Feitan's head and was advancing menacingly towards Kurapika.

The darn blonde actually had the gall to smirk after insulting him.

Shalnark, sensing incoming bloodshed, "Dive for cover."

Hisoka twirled a Joker card at the tip of his finger and began hitting on Machi, pretending to be completely oblivious to the impending clash of metal against metal. Life with the Genei Ryodan was never dull. Machi on the other hand, was also busy pretending the demented jester never existed.

Franklin had borrowed Hisoka's deck and was now playing with Shizuku and Coltopi in a secluded corner, away from harm's reach. Feitan, in an accommodating mood, had promptly squeezed in the space between Shizuku and Franklin, and hollered for Shalnark to join the game. Bonorenofu, as silent as a tomb, had fallen asleep.

With a scowl plastered on her face, Pakunoda marched off to the kitchen to hold off the impending battle. She had been dead sure Kuroro was testing all of their sanities when he had actually _allowed_ the Kuruta brat to take over the kitchen within a span of two days. Heaven help her, she was sorely beginning to regret being second-in-command.

(To be continued…) 

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**Notes: **Fuck it… I'm screwed up in this chapter… I'll fix this sometime later next week. Right now, I gotta study for my midterms in Nihongo. Taihen da…

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I would also like to take this time to mention that I'm dedicating this fic to **lynlyn**-san, who has written an absolutely wonderful fic entitled 'Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken'. It's fabulous! Indeed a must-read!

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**Re-edited with responses to reviews: **

I would like to thank **kasugai gummie**-san for reviewing my work, and pointing out many flaws in the fic. As for the Japanese terms, well, I just couldn't resist them. (Geez, who would when you're getting drilled and bombarded by Nihongo vocabularies every darn hour? Don't get me wrong, I love Nihongo, it's just the midterms I'm being particular at.)

Thank you also for pointing out one major thing I failed to mention in the process of editing this chapter, **lynlyn**'s work gave me the boost I needed for this fic. The reason for the similarity in the Judgment Chain part, it's because that's about the only thing that would make sense for Kurapika to actually live within the Genei Ryodan circle without the risk of bloodshed—he has to abide by the restrictions, else Gon and Killua are put into danger again because of him, or he dies if he breaches the contract.

As for Kuroro's character in this fic, I'm not actually sticking to his original persona in the actual storyline of the anime/manga. I sorta fused his two personalities together, the usual stoic and bland-faced leader in front of everyone, but on the inside, it's his alter ego or subconscious that's talking. This persona of his that I'm using will help me build up the foundation for his upcoming 'personality' in the later chapters. Trust me, I'll be taking LOTS of time to proofread my work, I always end up re-editing everything I write anyway, it's a rather… subconscious and time-consuming habit of mine.

Thank you so much for reading and bearing with my mediocre work, and I hope you'll keep on reviewing my piece! Saigo ni, sankyuu! Mata kondo ne:) I've also read your works on Kuroro and Kurapika, they're great! Keep 'em coming! (thumbs up)

Thanks also to** Koi Of Mine** for reviewing!


	3. Farfetched

**Title: _Blood Pact_**

**Author:** Blitz Magnus

**Chapter:** 3?

**Status:** completed

**Pairings:** future Kuroro x Kurapika

**Genre:** Romance/Humor + a bit of Drama/Adventure

**Warnings:** This fic contains shounen-ai (male x male relationship). So if you don't and can't stomach this kind of genre, don't read. Characters are major OOC. This is a product of boredom, an endless spiral of empty space, and a lame attempt at making fiction. You have been forewarned, so no flames regarding these matters. Nobunaga is very, very, very OOC here! But I can't help it! So there, you have been warned!

**Rating: **PG-13 (T)

**Disclaimer:** _Hunter x Hunter_© original story and characters belong not to me, but to the legendary Yoshihiro Togashi.

**Author's Notes:** The timeline is set at the end of the OVA, right after Kuroro's capture by Kurapika, and picks up in between the OVA and the Greed Island arc. The events of the story take place after the negotiations between Pakunoda and Kurapika are over, as well as the exchange of hostages. Changes made in the actual series for the purpose of writing this fic are as follows: 1.) Kurapika was not able to seal Kuroro's nen during Kuroro's confinement, 2.) Kurapika did not take off his disguise as a female hotel receptionist during the entire confrontation between him and the Danchou, 3.) Pakunoda never revealed Kurapika's weakness to the spiders (meaning she didn't die), 4.) Hisoka has yet to uncover his betrayal to the Genei Ryodan (meaning he didn't show up during the hostage exchange).

**Summary:** With Gon and Killua safely back into the fold and out of harm's way after negotiations with the Genei Ryodan were concluded, Kuroro Lucifer makes his move on the unsuspecting Kurapika and roped him into becoming a part of them, indirectly, on the aftermath of their encounter. Kurapika, in turn, manages to learn more about the Kuruta Red-Eyes in his stay with the Genei Ryodan and he's less than happy with the results as he got more than what he'd bargained for. Never did he dream that he'd turn into one of them, and things get more complicated when he realized he'd fallen for the enemy.

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Chapter Three: Farfetched

Kurapika had groggily woken up when the first seams of daylight filtered through the blinds of his dusty room. His blue-green eyes blinked several more times to adjust to the intruding light, and rubbed them tiredly get rid of the last remnants of sleep.

Normally, he'd have gotten up, proceed to the adjoining chamber pot to wash his face and start the day, but staring up at the blank, torn ceiling above him, he recalled why he was there in the first place. It was not a good thought.

When he moved to get up, he was deterred from lifting his body off the makeshift bed by a dead weight lying on his flat middle.

The Kuruta's eyes swiveled towards his waist, his face turning beet red when he located the cause of his temporary immobility.

Kuroro had, sometime during the night, rolled over in his sleep and cuddled up next to him, in an attempt to get warm probably because of the coldness of the air seeping into every chamber in the warehouse. Of course the man just had to wear nothing save his snug-fitting leather pants when going to sleep at this drop of temperature during the night.

Said man also had his _arm_ circling his waist in a rather tight grip while he slept on, and Kurapika, appalled, had absolutely no idea on what to do next.

Mentally cursing to himself why he hadn't fought every inch of the way in the first place when Kuroro had suggested that they were to share the same room, giving the absurd reason that he was keeping an eye on his movements, but being the 'outcast' of the group, he'd had no say in the matter. Kurapika had snorted in disbelief at the arrangements, the man had already coerced him into joining them, threatened Gon and Killua's life in the process, forced him to use his own Judgment Chain on himself, and he had the guts to question his honor in keeping his word?

If Kurapika was a different person, he might have looked past the misgivings, but taking advantage of him during his sleep was way out of the question. Genei Ryodan head or not, he'd cut the man's arm off if he pulls out another stunt like that again.

Kurapika bit his lip, placed a tentative hand on the arm holding him captive and lifted it off him while he held his breath.

"Good morning," a gratingly sleepy but cheerful voice greeted him.

The blonde nearly jumped out of his skin at the sleepy, but alert voice. He immediately focused his irritated eyes on Kuroro's amused, albeit sleepy ones, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Waking up?" Kuroro murmured lazily in a half-dazed state as he brought his free hand to idly scratch at his head.

"I meant your arm," Kurapika answered back, deadpanned, though he was itching to tear his tormentor into pieces limb by limb with his bare hands.

Kuroro belatedly realized their awkward position, but made no move to retrieve his arm.

Frustration was eating at the Kuruta's nerves, "Well?"

Deciding to indulge to his own need for amusement at the blonde's expense, he decided to reveal his rather 'unusual' sleeping habits to his already irritated company just for the fun of it.

"I always cuddle up to something warm and soft whenever I sleep."

_That explains the fetish for leather and fur coats._

Kuroro's last statement had been the last straw.

"Well, you're awake. Now get your arm off me before I amputate it," the blonde warned menacingly.

"But of course, _your highness_," Kuroro mockingly obliged him with a suave lift of his arm and gracefully lifted himself off the makeshift bed, "Someone certainly woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

Kurapika wisely refrained from snapping back with his usual retorts, knowing he'd just encourage the Spider head to gloat at his predictable behavior.

He'd had a throbbing headache the night before when Pakunoda had launched into a series of complaints right after the row with Nobunaga, which could be described as tyrannical in nature. He'd been shocked speechless that the usually stoic woman who ignored him most of the time had actually opened her mouth to voice out her opinions to _him_ of all people. When she'd finished, Kurapika was sure now why the Genei Ryodan considered her as second-in-command.

Goodness, aside from her rapier-sharp skills and wit, not to mention a hell of curvaceous body assets save her nose, the woman was certainly gifted with a healthy set of lungs; she didn't even stop to breath during her lengthy speech and proceeded to give him, and Nobunaga hell.

Groaning with frustration, Kurapika was about to get up from his sleeping pallet when two things hit him simultaneously: First, it was his fifteenth day of staying with the Genei Ryodan. And second, it was a Friday.

And since it was a Friday, it was his and Kuroro's turn to make breakfast.

"Breakfast will be served in ten minutes, so you'd better get up and help me make it. Phinx and Franklin get cranky when breakfast is served late."

Eyelid twitching visibly, he'd briefly considered adding poison to the food, before shoving the idea aside. With Kuroro and Nobunaga standing guard, he'd never get past the two with a concealed box of detergent powder on his way to the kitchen.

Heaving out a defeated sigh, Kurapika found himself staring at thin air as Kuroro disappeared into the hallway.

After getting to his feet, Kurapika had literally prowled into the adjoining room and washed his face while devising numerous ways to get back at the bane of his existence—without having to involve the use of deadly firearms and poison.

------------------------------------------------------------

Patience is a virtue. One of the things Kuroro Lucifer had prided himself upon was the impeccable amount of patience he possessed. But as of the moment, it was rapidly depleting in its vast deposits. The cause was calmly sitting right in front of him.

Normally, he'd never have let anyone gotten under his skin, but the Kuruta proved to be very tenacious in his outlook. Two weeks within the span of his stay in their tight circle, Kurapika had managed to piss off Nobunaga in ways no one could ever imagine possible, sending the ballistic samurai at the edge of committing cold-blooded murder right then and there, regardless of the consequences —the blonde had accomplished the one feat they had never been able and ever dared to do: catch Nobunaga off-guard when he was butt-naked in his loincloth and lived to see the next day.

It was a trivial thing, actually, and all of them had known Hisoka had a major role in that prank. The loose screw of their group obviously had a death wish when he 'accidentally' dropped a jarful of honey-lemon drops he'd bought in a nearby sweet shop and told Kurapika to sweep them up in a deceptively sweet singsong tone of voice.

The Kuruta had immediately suspected something up the joker's sleeve but paid no heed to it. Gritting his teeth in anger, Kurapika had no choice but to comply—as Hisoka had subtly pointed out that Shizuku was currently indisposed that moment because she was on an errand, and that he was to be the stand-in for the ditzy girl in cleaning duties whenever she's not available. Shalnark had discovered that he was a neat freak a few days ago and volunteered him for the job.

Two minutes before that incident, Hisoka had also caused another 'mishap'—he'd caught a yellow hummingbird near the vicinity of the warehouse and had been fooling around with the creature when the bird decided to unload 'something'.

The poor unsuspecting victim of that ordeal had been Nobunaga, whose hair had been trussed up in its usual high ponytail, and was poking at a pile of rubble with his feet when the airborne creature swooped down and ejected a pile of bird droppings all over him.

Two seconds later, a bird screeched angrily and shot out of the ventilation duct of the abandoned warehouse, sporting a bare-naked ass while Nobunaga was left fuming and covered in the smelly, sticky white substance, the ground noticeably cluttered by bits of yellow feathers.

Hisoka had giggled uncontrollably and chanted 'bad little birdie' between bouts of suppressed mirth.

Nobunaga had huffed into the chamber pot and began tearing off his feces-infested robe. Immersing the soiled garment in a bucket of water, he began scrubbing, and cursed violently when a large portion of the mess refused to come off.

_Goddamn bird, if this stain doesn't come off, I'll mutilate that dratted creature._

Two minutes later, Kurapika was heading towards the direction of the very same chamber to wash his honey-lemon coated hands while imagining several ingenious ways to torture the troublemaker clown. Nobunaga had apparently forgotten that he'd left the door ajar when the blonde entered, which was why it had been the very first time anyone in the vicinity ever heard a manly screech pitch to an indignant squeal and resonate within four walls, leaving a distinct echo at it.

Phinx had tripped over Franklin's foot when he heard the first shriek, Bonorenofu toppled over to one side when the commotion jarred him awake, and Shalnark's laptop screen blinked red with the big, bold capital letters spelling 'game over'. Machi, who was counting her savings, lost count when the scream subsided.

Pakunoda and Kuroro had been poring over new plans when the shrill sound reached them, Kuroro swiftly surging to his feet, and the two had immediately taken off at a run. Feitan was nowhere to be seen, as he'd already disappeared into the Greed Island console and was missing out on all the action.

When Pakunoda reached the source of the uproar, she'd had to practically staple her mouth shut to keep herself from laughing at the scene.

Nobunaga, in all his naked glory while sitting on his bare ass on the cold floor, was now beet-red in embarrassment and was flapping his arms violently while screaming obscenities at the top of his lungs at the stunned Kurapika—who didn't move a muscle except for his taut shoulders that were shaking rather abnormally.

Two things hit her that instant: one, Nobunaga, save that tiny strip of loincloth, was butt-naked on the hard floor; and two, Kurapika was in the verge of actually _laughing_.

She was still deciding which was more hilarious, Nobunaga screeching like a banshee or Kurapika resembling a pile of imbalanced rocks while trying hard not to laugh, when Kuroro took one look at the scene and promptly exited the premises.

Hisoka had roared with laughter when Nobunaga's screech of indignation had subsided, earning a few frightened looks in return. Merciful heavens, was the clown _that_ slow in reaction to his own practical jokes when he could easily cut off the heads of an entire crowd in less than a second?

Kurapika and Pakunoda had bolted out of sight from Nobunaga's line of vision and made a beeline for the 'conference area' where five stunned members of the Spider—Shalnark, Franklin, Phinx, Bonorenofu, and a recently arrived Kuroro, were spending the time. Hisoka was beaming with a contented smile on his face.

Kuroro, who'd walked in on the previous encounter and hastened immediately to get out of harm's way, was now dreading the next scene.

Is it any wonder that Hisoka was to be conveniently blamed as the mastermind in this prank? The demented psychopath deserved top honors in a mental asylum.

"We will forget this ever happened," Kuroro announced five minutes later when the initial bloodshed had worn off.

And that had been the end of it, though Hisoka never let Nobunaga live it down, which resulted in several catastrophes for all of them, since getting caught in the middle of pre-meditated murder was probably their job by now—most of them just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Nobunaga was vehemently adamant in his belief that the Kuruta had pulled off the prank, regardless of how many times Shalnark and Franklin pointed out that Hisoka was the one who started the 'incident' and not Kurapika. Nobunaga was also convinced that Kurapika had deliberately walked in on him and intentionally wanted to make him lose face. Thus, Nobunaga never let Kurapika off the hook, which further increased the heart-palpitating tension between the two, and made the other Genei Ryodan members' lives a living nightmare.

Kuroro had immediately forced a truce between Kurapika, Hisoka and Nobunaga. Nobunaga was itching to tear Kurapika apart; Kurapika was on the verge of strangling the laughing Hisoka while the main culprit was grinning from ear to ear and piling yet another stack of cards, acting as though nothing had happened.

For the first time in his life, Kuroro was thinking hard about some things to he'd be regretful about, and three of those certain things were now occupying the space in front of him.

Life was interesting enough, if only he didn't have to worry about Neon's prediction about the future of the group every damn breath he takes when Kurapika, Hisoka and Nobunaga come within three-meter radius of each other. The Genei Ryodan would be reduced to half its number before the month was over, and Kurapika wouldn't have to bat an eyelash over the deed.

-------------------------------------------------------

It was a balmy afternoon in mid-September when Kuroro decided to announce his plans for the group—which for Kurapika, it looked more like he had dropped a bomb on him. Their next mission as well as their upcoming departure from York Shin City was well under way. Apparently, their main priority was to first snatch the goods being auctioned off by the Mafia the day after, and leave York Shin City to a city called Lufa in the western continent.

He'd been horrified when Kuroro had pointedly zeroed in on him and issued out direct orders for him. Dear Lord, the man had actually _expected_ him to perform a major role in their vile deeds without anticipating bloodshed—he had actually told the blonde to kill anyone standing in their way, and had also made it clear that he wanted Kurapika to 'browse' for the goods right after they penetrate the building.

Not bloody likely to happen. If the Spider head wanted him to do it, then he'd have to drag and carry his rotting carcass to the auction building before he'd ever _agree_ to step foot inside the area to _help_ them do their dirty work.

By the end of the day, he'd mustered up enough courage to confront Kuroro. There was no way in nine hells was he going to kill anyone for the sake of the Genei Ryodan, it was enough that he had to co-exist with them in the same roof _and_ planet, but to help them rob the Mafia blind, one of them being his employer, was altogether another matter. Sure he had no love for the Mafia, as they were just a more elegant and sophisticated form of criminals, but underneath all that façade of glittering glamour was the stench of blood money that was used to become the steppingstone for their financial 'achievements', after all, the term 'crime lords' was their namesake.

The Mafia played every bit as dirty as any hardened criminal, and hypocrisy was just one of their distinct characteristics. They're flamboyant for an unearthly cause, and would leave even their own kin in the dumps to save their own hides if it meant becoming sole survivor in their corrupt world.

At least the Spiders valued honor—they have the decency to admit to their own handiworks, but the Mafia evaded accusations to them like the plague as they valued reputation and fame more than honor.

If he'd been any other man except being the sole survivor of the Kuruta tribe, he'd have turn a blind eye over the matter and gone his own way. He would've considered saving the lives of greedy and power-hungry filthy rich crime lords as a waste of his time, if he'd known better, it would have been good riddance for the world to lessen its defilers.

Scornfully, Kurapika briefly recalled his employer's spoilt daughter Neon and her annoying self-centered attitude. The girl had absolutely the most narrow-minded brain a person could ever possess when it came to her personal wants. Her father given her every material thing that she wanted and it still wasn't enough, but since her upbringing had been a bit harsh at being neglected in terms of parental love most of her life because her father had literally used her as a tool in his financial empire, her selfish attitude had to be overlooked. Even if her father was a jackass, he was still his employer; after all, his contract was still in effect up to this day.

If the Spiders have no decency in repenting for their sins, the least they could do is let him honor his responsibilities. He was still the head of the Nostrad bodyguards, and technically, he'd been neglecting his duty for weeks now because of his untimely and unexpected 'involvement' with the Spiders.

Bounding up the stairs in his usual brisk fashion, Kurapika sucked in a deep breath and entered the brightly illuminated room. He'd then proceeded to give a blistering lecture about morals and principles to his unsuspecting victim: the head of the Genei Ryodan.

"… … have absolutely no fucking morals! … … pathetic! Have you no shame…! … bunch of bloodthirsty cutthroats! And you actually expect _me_ to stand by meekly while you murder those people in front of me _and_ lend you a hand in locating the items! …gone out of mind!"

Shalnark and Pakunoda caught fragments of that heated 'conversation' as they had been shamelessly eavesdropping on them. They had noticed the fierce and determined scowl on Kurapika's face when he marched into the Danchou's quarters and mental alarm bells had immediately gone off.

Kurapika was getting all riled up, "How dare _you_ tell me to kill others when it's you I want dead! Of all the insufferable, obnoxious notions you've managed to spout, this has got to be the worst you've come up with! If you even dare to think I'll be doing it, then you're sorely mistaken. I'd rather end my own life than turn into one of you, Judgment Chain or not! It's bad enough I have to live with the lot of you, but don't ever expect me to conform to your goddamn principles! You murdered my family, wiped out my entire clan, and you…!"

Merciful heavens, the blonde was like a devil possessed, when he'd started in on his tirade, there was no stopping him, not to mention the Kuruta possessed a tongue like a sharp scalpel and had lashed out at him like a mother would a naughty child caught in a prank. Kuroro had reacted as though his skin had been scalded by hot water and immediately leapt out of his chair and bolted out of the room.

And slammed right into a brick wall of muscled torso.

Retreating back a step, he stared up at the stupefied Franklin, who paid no notice that he'd been rammed into by their leader because he was still fully occupied staring open-mouthed at the pissed-off Kurapika—who was obviously not at all pleased when Kuroro had walked out in the middle of his 'lecture'. Pakunoda had a horrified look on her face when she realized who the Kuruta was 'speaking' to, and Machi, who usually ignored most of the uproars occurring in the premises, was also astonished that the Danchou had actually _allowed_ the Kuruta brat to drill him like that.

Kuroro would bet his life Franklin was already pleading at him to get the chain-user to stop his verbal attacks, the Frankenstein rip-off had endured enough of Kurapika breathing down his throat every time he and the others came back covered in blood and blasting the living daylights out of everyone by brutally giving them an earful of blistering lectures on morals and ethics. It was enough to last him a lifetime.

"Danchou, can't we just let—?"

Kuroro shook his head in a silent gesture of 'no', he'd known what Franklin wanted to say even before the gigantic man had finished his thoughts. The Frankenstein wannabe already experienced a dose of Kurapika's verbal tongue-lashing, and it had not been a pretty sight when the blonde was through with him.

"Make yourselves scarce."

Motioning for Franklin to leave the hallway, he turned to face the full blast of Kurapika's ire.

For some unexplainable reason, he'd felt challenged by the Kuruta's unwavering outlook in life, as he was never fazed even by the threat of his own life and had stuck to his own beliefs regardless of how others looked at him. The only time he'd allowed himself to contradict his own principles was when his friends' lives were placed at stake. Kuroro's curiosity was peaked at how advanced Kurapika's gugenka ability was, especially during Red-Eyes state, considering the fact that it had only been less than a year when he'd actually learned about nen and how to use it.

He'd seen how those chains of his work in action, and was duly impressed by the blonde's mastery of his chosen weapon. To be able to unleash the hundred percent potential of all forms of nen in tokushitsu mode was indeed an accomplishment in a short span of seven months or so.

Kuroro had Skill Hunter, enabling him to rob any nen ability for his own use, causing the victim to be unable to use it any longer, with the stolen ability recorded in the pages of his book. Thus, even if he had managed to steal Kurapika's skills, it would still be useless for him because of the lack of the Kuruta Red Eyes in his biological makeup.

Unless he would be able to…

Pushing his thoughts aside, the Spider head had finally realized Kurapika had already stopped chewing out on him and was actually looking at him as though he'd grown another head.

"Are you quite finished?"

Kurapika nodded, still puzzled by the mulling look on Kuroro's face a few moments ago. Unless his instincts were wrong, he'd been dead sure that Kuroro had been sizing him up as though preparing for battle.

"Good. Then I suggest you prepare yourself for tomorrow, it's going to be a long day once we get on that train. We'll be leaving as a group to the center of the city, and split up into pairs when we get there. Naturally, you'll be partnered with me while Shalnark and Nobunaga stake out the building. Phinx and Feitan will enter as bidders and provide us with the layout of the building so you can start locating the items."

Good grief, did the man even bother to digest a single word he'd just said?

"We'll both be on standby until Shizuku and Franklin give us the signal to move. Coltopi and Bonorenofu will be joining us once we enter the building."

Kurapika had been too shocked to react to his detailed explanation of his plans.

"I also understand that Nostrad is your employer and you cannot violate your obligations to him. However, by tonight," Kuroro slapped his cellular phone into Kurapika's palm, "he'll be your former employer, so you won't worry at having to do any stabbing in the back."

"What the hell are you planning?" Suspicion made the hair on Kurapika's nape prickle and stand up to its end.

"Ask no questions and I will tell you no lies."

"I can't just—" Kurapika started to protest.

"You can and you will," came the firm response.

"What good will that do?"

"Just a precaution," Kuroro gestured to the device, "Make that call."

-------------------------------------------------------

The first call he made had been to Senritsu—whose soothing voice had immediately calmed down his frazzled nerves, and he had launched to explain the purpose of his call to the ever-reliable music hunter.

Senritsu had told him that Gon, Killua and Leorio had been worried sick about him for weeks when they didn't hear any word from him, but being the calm and reliable person that she was, had reassured them that he was still alive and breathing. With her sensitive ability to locate any sound she'd want, she had immediately picked up on Kurapika's heartbeat and was relieved to find out that he was still alive and told the trio that he was well.

Kurapika had given strict instructions to her to firmly tell Gon and Killua that they were not to do anything to find him. When Senritsu had listened to his heartbeat after a few seconds, she'd immediately agreed.

_/But what about Leorio/_

Kurapika pondered over the matter, "Tell him to help Gon and Killua with their business here in York Shin City, and that, he is never to participate in anything as brash as trying to rescue me."

A commotion was heard over at the other end of the line.

_/Killua and Gon have just arrived. Gon wants to talk to you./_

"All right, give him the phone."

_/Kurapika! Are you all right? The Spiders didn't do anything to you, did they/_

"Gon, I want you to listen carefully to what I'm going to say. It's very important."

_/Okay, I'm listening./_

"Do not attempt to seek out the Spider or me."

_/What? But why? Are they forcing you to do something you don't want to do? Did they threaten you/_

Killua had chosen that moment to tap on Gon's shoulder, grab the phone and held it over his ear, while shoving the indignant Gon away from him.

_/Kurapika, it's Killua. If you're being watched, don't answer my questions./_

Kurapika, glad to finally be able to talk to the more rational of the two, immediately pounced on the chance, "No, coast's clear. Listen Killua, I want you and Gon to concentrate on your whatever business you're doing and stay out of mine from now on. Do not try to find the Spider or me. If I want to meet you in person, I will call you, otherwise, don't do anything stupid."

Pause. _/Are you goddamn out of your friggin' mind! The Spider will kill you sooner or later, we—/_

"Killua, having my life on the line is enough. I do not want the burden of endangering yours as well."

_/You really are serious about this, aren't you/_

"Would I joke about something like this?"

_/Anything I say won't be able to sway your decision/_

"Yes."

_/Alright. You have my word./_

"Keep an eye on Gon and Leorio for me, I'm trusting you on this, don't let me down."

_/You'll have to promise me something, too./_

"What is it?"

_/If your life is placed in jeopardy in any way, you won't hesitate to call us for help./_

"Deal."

_/I'm holding you to your promise, if I hear news that you didn't live up to your word, I'll personally see to it that I'll be the one dragging your soul back from Hades to kick your sorry ass to oblivion./_

"I swear. And Killua?"

_/What/_

"Thank you for everything."

_/Tch, whatever. I'll give the phone back to Gon now./_

"Okay."

Gon had gotten the gist of the previous conversation, and was desperately praying that he'd be making the right decision as well.

_/Kurapika, are you sure about this/_

"Yes."

_/I'll never forgive myself if something bad happens to you./_

"Trust me on this, Gon."

_/Alright. I respect your decision, I just hope you know what you're doing./_

"I appreciate it."

_/ What do I tell Leorio? You know he'll be freaking out when he hears this./_

Kurapika had briefly envisioned Leorio behaving like a raving lunatic upon hearing the news, and coughed to cover his amusement, "Tell Leorio that the next time I'll be seeing him is when he gets that doctor's license. And if he's not a doctor by then, I'll feed him to the sharks."

_/Okay. Kurapika/ _

"Yes?"

_/Take care of yourself./_

Kurapika's mouth softened into a gentle smile, "I will. Now give the phone back to Senritsu."

_/Senritsu speaking./_

"Listen carefully to my instructions. Tell Nostrad and the others not to set foot inside the auction house to be held tomorrow. If they do, then they're doomed. They won't live to see the next sunrise. And if it's possible, get them out of York Shin City as soon as possible."

_/But why/_

"Spider."

_/I see. Are they… treating you well/_ came the tentative voice.

Kurapika chose to ignore the inquiry and tersely changed the topic as though the question was never raised, "You are not to tell anyone you got this information from me."

_/I understand./_

"Remember what I told you, and if Nostrad asks you why, just tell him it's for the brat's safety."

_/Won't news about the Spiders' return complicate things/_

"I don't think they plan to openly reveal themselves in public. They've gone too far as to pretending that they're all dead, they won't risk getting caught. News won't be able to leak out if they finish off the people who are unfortunate enough to see their faces."

_/I see./_

Kurapika unleashed a bomb with his next words.

Senritsu had turned pale at his words, _/What? Are you certain/_

Knowing that the only way to sever ties with Nostrad family without the risk of loose ends was news of his 'demise', involving his friends in his insatiable thirst for revenge had been enough, he did not want to risk anyone else's life, and he'd given specific instructions for Senritsu to do exactly that.

"That's right, you heard me. I want you to tell them that I'm dead."

(To be continued…) 

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**Notes: **Not much of an update, but still… third chapter up, though this is just my initial draft, so expect the presence of several open-ended statements. Sorry about some spelling and grammatical blunders, English isn't my native tongue, so please, just bear with me. I'm also starting to work on the fourth installment, but I'm being held back by a major—no, scratch that—a severe case of writer's block. I've gotten stuck a quarter mile to the cut-off… so I guess the next chapter will be posted up a bit later than what I had originally planned.

As for the romance part between Kuroro and Kurapika, I'll be focusing on that in the latter chapters, it's too awkward to start the romantic interlude this early in the story. However, I'll be developing it bit by bit as inserts in the next chapters. Keep your fingers crossed, and pray I'll be able to spare more time with this.

_Million dollar question_: How the hell do you spell 'Raito' Nostrad's given name in English anyway? Rite? Light? Wright? Hell, somebody please help me out here—this is one of the reasons why I detest foreign names being translated into katakana… it makes it nearly impossible for me to identify the corresponding equivalent of some of the names.

To one of my reviewers, **the simple mind**, I'd like to thank you for the praise. I'll _try_ to live up to it.

Thanks also to **kurapy**, **Night-Owl123**and **mistressKC **for reviewing, I'm glad you all liked my work. It really makes my heart swell that people appreciate my writings.

_To all readers of my fic_: Keep those reviews coming! I really appreciate it!


	4. Moonless Spiral

**Title: _Blood Pact_**

**Author:** Blitz Magnus

**Chapter:** 4?

**Status:** completed

**Pairings:** future Kuroro x Kurapika

**Genre:** Humor/Romance + a bit of Drama/Adventure (finally, some KuroroxKurapika moments here, but not too intense)

**Warnings:** This fic contains shounen-ai (male x male relationship). So if you don't and can't stomach this kind of genre, don't read. Characters are major OOC. This is a product of boredom, an endless spiral of empty space, and a lame attempt at making fiction. You have been forewarned, so no flames regarding these matters. This is more of a lengthy installment. It contains some of the serious parts, but no worries, I'll still pinch in some microscopic humor… I seem to like pulling pranks at everyone in HxH. I'll have to warn you though, I like lengthy stories because I read fast, so when I read _and _write short installments, I get really frustrated. Trust me, you'll feel the same when you finish reading a 500-page single-spaced novel in a span of two hours and end up saying you got a cliffhanger… it's demeaning.

**Rating: **PG-13 (T)

**Disclaimer:** _Hunter x Hunter_© original story and characters belong not to me, but to the legendary Yoshihiro Togashi.

**Author's Notes:** The timeline is set at the end of the OVA, right after Kuroro's capture by Kurapika, and picks up in between the OVA and the Greed Island arc. The events of the story take place after the negotiations between Pakunoda and Kurapika are over, as well as the exchange of hostages. Changes made in the actual series for the purpose of writing this fic are as follows: 1.) Kurapika was not able to seal Kuroro's nen during Kuroro's confinement, 2.) Kurapika did not take off his disguise as a female hotel receptionist during the entire confrontation between him and the Danchou, 3.) Pakunoda never revealed Kurapika's weakness to the spiders (meaning she didn't die), 4.) Hisoka has yet to uncover his betrayal to the Genei Ryodan (meaning he didn't show up during the hostage exchange).

**Summary:** With Gon and Killua safely back into the fold and out of harm's way after negotiations with the Genei Ryodan were concluded, Kuroro Lucifer makes his move on the unsuspecting Kurapika and roped him into becoming a part of them, indirectly, on the aftermath of their encounter. Kurapika, in turn, manages to learn more about the Kuruta Red-Eyes in his stay with the Genei Ryodan and he's less than happy with the results as he got more than what he'd bargained for. Never did he dream that he'd turn into one of them, and things get more complicated when he realized he'd fallen for the enemy.

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Chapter Four: Moonless Spiral

Plan set into determined motion, Kurapika could only hope that he was still in his right mind when he ended the call to Senritsu after deeming it necessary that he should reassure the normally ever-calm woman—who had hyperventilated with worry—that he was perfectly fine and was in no way being coerced or controlled into doing anything he did not want to do. He'd also requested to keep it confidential, and was allowed only to inform Gon, Killua and Leorio about his plan when it's put into action.

After hanging up, he'd taken a deep intake of breath and tried to loosen his frazzled nerves. It was one hell of a day, and it could only get better, he thought sardonically and had immediately gone straight back to where the rest of the Spiders were spending their free time. Upon reaching his destination, he resisted the urge to rub the space between his eyebrows and deliberately tossed Kuroro's cellular phone back to its owner—who caught it skillfully in mid-air.

Shalnark winced at the brutal mishandling of the electronic gadget, but wisely kept his mouth tapered shut when he saw Kurapika's ominous face as he purposefully approached them.

"I'll be needing to use Coltopi's abilities," Kurapika announced in an oddly strangled voice later on, looking like he swallowed a rather large dose of bitter medication and sounded like he was choking on hemlock when he'd started to speak.

Hisoka's pyramid of stacked cards collapsed on a heap when the blonde stated his shocking request and the jester immediately focused all his attention on the Kuruta; Nobunaga and Phinx were gaping in an openmouthed fashion; while Shalnark and Feitan goggled at him incredulously. Pakunoda nearly wrenched her arm off during one of her flexing exercises when Kurapika announced his statement. It was like gunshot ringing out in a deserted room with a loud bang. She nearly expected someone (Hisoka was the most likely candidate) to shout April Fools' Day then and there.

"Phinx, Nobu, you can close your mouths now," Machi casually remarked. She had been surprised at the request, but had shown no outward reaction and opted to silently watch the unfolding scene in front of her.

Franklin, Shizuku and Bonorenofu weren't present at the moment—the trio were out on an errand, and therefore missed the entire conversation—not that it'd make much of a difference considering the fact that the two of the three couldn't care less about the conversation and the nitwit female remains as clueless as ever even when the very thing she's looking for smacks her dab on the face.

Kuroro had doubled back in disbelief at Kurapika's strange request. Had his ears been deceiving him? The chain-assassin had actually told them that he _needed_ to use their resident photocopier's skills? Now he really must be hallucinating… Kurapika actually wanted help from one of the Genei Ryodan, his sworn enemies? The ones he eternally damned and vowed to eliminate? Good Lord, laudanum would've had lesser effect on his shocked senses.

Coltopi had angled her mop-like head towards their Danchou, but stayed silently alert when she'd noticed their leader's astonishment.

"For what purpose?" Kuroro asked after a heartbeat of seconds. Everyone in the room had held their breaths in anticipation of the Genei Ryodan head's decision.

"I want to make a duplicate of my body," Kurapika paused for a while before plunging on, "In order to relinquish Nostrad's hold on me, he'll need proof that I am no longer able to provide my services for him."

"You'd actually deceive them?" Kuroro contemplated thoughtfully.

"If that's what it takes. But only the Nostrad family and their Mafia cronies, I don't like having loose strings," Kurapika hesitatingly clarified.

Catching on to Kurapika's plan, Kuroro had nodded amiably. After all, they'd once used the same tactic to end the Mafia's tenacious and annoying manhunt on them, and it had worked wonders. The Mafia was as blind as bats to a fault, especially when it concerned their incompetence at handling security affairs.

"And once he finds your 'body', he won't be requiring your services anymore," the Spider head concluded with slow nod and a rare smile.

Kurapika only nodded in affirmation with the uncomfortable situation.

"All right, I'll humor you." With that he gave the blonde an affirmative nod. "Coltopi, do as whatever he tells you to do," Kuroro announced nonchalantly later on as he continued to give Kurapika a quelling look.

Nobunaga had his jaw clenched tight at their Danchou's approval of the chain-assassin's request, but refrained from saying something he might regret later on. Though he was sorely tempted to object to the idea, by all means, scream obscenities if necessary, but he didn't dare to risk their Danchou's wrath. Kuroro's temper was formidable when unleashed, like smoldering embers of hot coals roared back to life by the passing wind—and when he got pissed, it only meant one thing to all of them: to make a run for it. Pissing off Ubo was like inviting a full-blown splitting headache, but getting Kuroro the slightest bit upset was welcoming convulsion of nature and cosmic catastrophe with open arms.

"We'll do it tomorrow, at daybreak. Afterwards, the duplicate body will be left here, so they'll be fully convinced that I'm really… dead," Kurapika ended awkwardly at the eerie silence that followed his announcement.

"Excellent. I'm glad you're seeing things our way," Kuroro commented amusedly.

"Don't get me wrong, I just don't want to put their lives at stake when I know fully well what will happen tomorrow," Kurapika hastily amended, "Technically, I'm still responsible for their safety."

Kuroro chuckled. The blonde's uncanny sense of honor was unwavering, not even a full-blown tornado could break it down.

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Sitting on a slab of concrete facing the wall, Kurapika placed his intertwined fingers under his chin and pondered. If he hadn't known better, he would've been positive that he'd already lost his mind at actually _agreeing_ to 'assist' the Spiders in robbing the Mafia blind _and_ even devised a way to wriggle out of Nostrad's grasp when the Mafia lord was probably one of his one-way tickets to freedom. He must be really losing his grip on whatever sanity he had left.

No, scratch that. It was official: he was a confirmed nutcase.

"Sulking?" a sultry, amused voice drawled out from behind the doorjamb.

Kurapika refused to answer the jibe, much less acknowledge the intruder's presence, and so he continued to stare blankly at the space above empty wall in front of him.

"Moping then?"

The blonde jerked at the insistent intrusion in his rambling thoughts, cursing under his breath before turning to stare blandly at the unwelcome presence. "What the hell do you want?" Kurapika muttered exasperatedly, and turned back to stare at the moonless night.

"Judging by that look on your face, I'll wager your hands are probably itching to strangle me right now," Kuroro concluded as he deliberately leaned on the doorframe.

"Go away," the blonde bit off a sarcastic retort from the tip of his tongue and settled with the overused comeback.

"Plotting something for tomorrow then?"

Kurapika's rigid shoulders sagged in silent defeat, knowing when to succumb to outright bullheadedness when he saw one. "Have you ever been wrong?"

"What are you going to do about it?"

"…"

Kuroro smirked knowingly. It was fun to rile the usually reserved blonde and get on his nerves, as his responses ranged from snapping out smart retorts to giving the cold shoulder reaction. The Spider head couldn't even remember when he'd had this much fun in his entire lifetime.

"I'm going out," Kurapika announced a moment later as he stood up. And after dusting off his pants, he'd started to walk past his unwanted company when a strong hand suddenly shot out and grabbed his arm in a firm grasp.

"What makes you think I'll allow you to go?" Kuroro asked silkily in an ominous tone of voice the Kuruta had never heard him use before.

Shrugging his arm loose, but carefully deciding to placate the mildly irritated Kuroro for some unknown reason, Kurapika replied, "If you're worrying about me running out on you, you don't have to. I'm just going out to get some supplies I'm going to need for tomorrow."

"I'll go with you," Kuroro 'volunteered' as the blonde tried to walk past him again.

"Don't bother. I'm perfectly capable of doing this alone," the blonde stubbornly refused the offer and continued down the darkened corridor, completely ignoring Pakunoda's startled look that was aimed at him when he stomped past her.

"I insist." The Spider head kept true to his word and immediately quickened his pace to keep up with the nearly sprinting Kurapika, mirroring the blonde's passive response to the stunned gunwoman as he swept past her and stripped off his heavy coat, "Wait for me outside."

"Whatever," Kurapika muttered in defeat, knowing he'd be wasting more precious time arguing with the Genei Ryodan head, and if that became the case, he won't be able to accomplish anything for tomorrow.

The thought didn't seem to be so bad, as it could save him from going on the trip to the heart of York Shin City and refrain from participating in their usual 'activities'. If only he hadn't already given his word to 'adjust' to them—which also meant he'd have to abide by the Spider's rules.

Life just wasn't fair to him.

Concealing an irritated sigh, the Kuruta made his way down the winding staircase and dutifully waited for his 'keeper' to accompany him outside.

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Five minutes later, the two were making their way briskly into the crowded and lively night markets of downtown York Shin City. The bustling vicinity didn't seem to bother Kurapika that much, though he still preferred solitude to the deafening noise. Kuroro, on the other hand, was vastly amused by the blonde's array of facial reactions when Kurapika had wrinkled his nose in obvious disgust at a sleazy shop selling the weirdest and most absurd selection of kinky underwear. Dear Lord, the store clerk nearly mauled him then and there as the obnoxious man caught sight of them, thinking they were a couple out on a date.

If looks could kill, there would be one very dead man writhing on the pavement in acute pain right that very moment.

"I'm sure the lady would look absolutely gorgeous in this—" the boisterous man held out a lacy black fabric, which easily resembled the tiniest and most scandalous thong they'd ever seen in their entire life.

The blonde had immediately taken off at a fast sprint without waiting for the clerk's next outrageous remark. Kuroro trailed behind him, still close at Kurapika's heels even as he tried, halfheartedly, to conceal his laughter with the appalled expression on the Kuruta's face.

Kurapika had donned on a white loosely collared sweater and a pair of dark blue denim jeans to blend in smoothly with the crowd while Kuroro had foregone his usual gangster attire of leather fur coats and opted to go for a knitted black long-sleeved turtleneck in place of his coat. His ruffled hair was free of its usual confining slicked-up style and was fluttering freely under the cold night breeze, with a white bandanna wrapped around his forehead to cover the cross-shaped crest tattooed there. The duo looked like yin and yang with their contrasting appearances—Kurapika's blonde hair and white shirt in comparison to Kuroro's black overhaul.

"So tell me, what exactly are we doing, strolling around in a night market at this hour?"

Kurapika gave his companion an exasperated look filled with irritation as he quickened his pace, "_I'm_ here to buy some stuff I'll be needing. As for you, I have no idea."

"Not funny," Kuroro muttered blandly as he effortlessly matched the blonde's lengthy strides, "What are you going to buy?"

"Disguise. I can't exactly waltz inside Mafia grounds without the risk of somebody recognizing me. They don't believe in ghosts of former bodyguards walking around and robbing them blind in broad daylight, you know," the blonde retorted sarcastically as he deftly squeezed in the sea of people surrounding them.

"We could always just get rid of them," the raven-haired man suggested in a low voice to the Kuruta's ear as he bowed low while keeping up with his companion's dodgy, but effective strides.

"We? Correction, _you're_ a world-class mass murderer, I'm not," Kurapika answered irritatingly as he shrugged off the uncomfortable presence lingering beside his ear.

"Ouch. Touché," Kuroro mimed an exaggerated wince at the irritated blonde.

They stopped at a dimly lit stall selling under-priced but high-quality garments—the perks of a night market was that they tend to sell high quality smuggled commodities at low prices. Kurapika had rummaged through a mountainous pile of dark-colored shirts and selected a black long-sleeved sweatshirt edged with a thick, gray piping at the sleeves and hem. After deciding to replenish his dwindling amount of clothing—courtesy of the Genei Ryodan—he added an olive green long-sleeved turtleneck to his selection. He'd also managed to wrestle out a pair of denim cargo pants and another pair of dark blue ones under another mound of fabric.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Kuroro deftly sorting through an array of leather and fur coats at the other side of the store. Fur and leather, the man must have an entire truckload of the stuff, Kurapika shuddered. Talk about a fetish.

"Finished?" a baritone voice murmured at his ear.

Kurapika had been taken aback by the abrupt question. Damn, the man could move fast. One second he was at the other end, the next he'd appeared right beside him within the blink of an eye.

"Almost," the blonde managed.

"Take your time. I'll be doing some shopping of my own since we're already here," the Spider leader patted Kurapika's head upon finishing the statement and moved to the other side again.

Kurapika had nodded dumbly, still holding the selected clothes in his right hand with limp fingers while lost in train of thought. Mentally irritated at his inability to counter Kuroro's advances, he reverted back to the matter at hand and began folding up his handful of clothes.

Fifteen minutes later, Kurapika and Kuroro exited the dingy shop, each carrying an armload of medium-sized paper bags in their wake. The Spider head had purchased an assortment of jackets in different textures and colors, all of them lined with fur at the edges and trimmed with silk linings. On impulse, he'd also plucked out a silver-gray mink cap on sale hanging on a secluded peg and dropped it inside his bag. Though for the life of him, Kurapika still couldn't figure out why the Spider head had needed that much leather and fur, it was enough to last him a lifetime.

"Do you have everything that you need?" Kuroro inquired politely, his arms laden with his numerous bags as they walked past a stall selling ornamental lights. Despite his load, he had managed to move rather easily and smoothly wormed his way inside the congested area while keeping a watchful eye on the blonde.

"Just a few more things left," the Kuruta replied just as courteously as he continued to squeeze in the tight crowd.

The two were now walking alongside each other in the middle of the busy street. Nightlife was full of energy, as people ranging from teens to mid-forties were chattering loudly with enthusiasm as they strolled along the bustling line of mini bazaars.

"Which way?"

"What?" Kurapika raised his turquoise orbs in question, as he was lost in thought while thinking of ways to desperately prevent the onslaught of bloodshed for the following day.

"I said, which way are we going?"

"Wigs—left corner," the blonde had started in an attempt to cover up his inattention and immediately turned to lead the way to a nearby stall filled with several assortments of head and face accessories.

Upon reaching the shop, Kurapika immediately plucked out the navy blue fisherman's hat lying on the countertop and fingered through a haphazard display of sunglasses for an appropriate pair to complement his recent purchases at the garment store. Spotting a pair of amber-colored oblique ones framed in black wire, he'd immediately added it to the hat he'd chosen and turned to pick out a wig from the wide variety hanging on the nearby rack.

"Here." A chestnut brown-dyed wig tinted with red highlights cut in high-waist length was suddenly thrust in front of Kurapika's face as he turned, which made him stumble back a step in surprise.

When the blonde remained silent, Kuroro stuffed the chosen wig into Kurapika's hand, "It would bring out the color of your eyes."

"I'll be using contact lenses."

"You can still use it after we leave York Shin City."

Shrugging absently, Kurapika started to move towards the counter to pay for his purchases, only to have Kuroro block his way with an extended arm.

"I'll pay for those," Kuroro offered gallantly.

"I have money," the blonde interrupted abruptly and elbowed his companion.

The ebony-haired man ended the discussion by circling an arm around the startled blonde's waist while flashing a charming smile at the salesclerk and dug out his wallet from his pocket, handing the girl a wad of crisp paper money bills in a flourish, "Keep the change."

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"What the hell am I supposed to do with this thing?" Kurapika snarled as he raised a twitching eyebrow in consternation when his shopping companion draped a gray-colored mink jacket trimmed with snowy white fox fur around his shoulders upon their return to their hideout.

The Kuruta still hadn't forgiven him for the spectacle he had made in the accessory shop. When the salesclerk punched in his purchases, he could've sworn the blasted woman was trying very hard to hold in a wistful sigh. And after he'd managed to wrench off Kuroro's rather firm grip on his waist and shoved him away to get out of the shop, the woman had approached his tormentor and handed him the purchases, but not after she'd commented what a fine couple they made. The worst part of it all, she'd mistaken him for Kuroro's _girlfriend_, which was an absolute blow to his nerves _and_ ego.

"Wear it?" the Spider head answered innocently.

Kurapika instantly recognized it as one of the garments Kuroro had purchased from the night market. "For what?" Ruthlessly folding the olive green turtleneck he'd purchased, he began shoving it back into the paper bag as he let out a string of curses under his breath.

"It suits you."

"Fur? I'm not that kinky," the blonde gritted out through his clenched teeth.

Kuroro smothered a laugh and further elaborated his intentions, "Lufa is a winter country all year round. You'll be needing thicker and warmer clothes once we get there."

"I can hold my own," Kurapika held out the jacket towards the taller man in a subtle gesture for him to get out.

"Take it, it's not my size anyway," the Spider head ended in a breeze as he took off.

Kurapika nearly groaned out in frustration when the man walked out on him again. The man just happened to always have the last word.

The man was infuriating and definitely _not_ an open book, one second he was a cold, unfeeling bastard; and the next, he was like a hovering, thoughtful guardian smothering him with gifts and muted affection. He'll never understand the guy, it was like predicting rain in a desert country.

Moments later, Kurapika eyed the soft jacket draped on his knee and rubbed the lapels of the cloth between his thumb and index fingers. The soft material was warm and wonderful to touch; indeed it would be practical to wear it under a winter climate. Sighing inaudibly in silent confusion, he gave up trying to figure out the enigmatic man and finally let a relaxed smile steal its way into his face.

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Breakfast was a matter to be foregone the following morning. After all, they had much bigger fish to fry. Kurapika was already up and about at the crack of dawn, throwing a few of his belongings into his buckskin pouch and immediately leaving the room with his prepared disguise in tow. He'd gone in search of Coltopi after descending the steps, and when Machi offhandedly waved at him towards the far corner of the room, he spotted his target immediately.

"Ready?" Coltopi asked as she raised her hand in a request to retrieve the Kuruta's hand.

"In a second," Kurapika muttered and stared at a spot by the nearby wall before his blue-green eyes turned into a vivid shade of brilliant red.

Behind him, Shalnark sucked in a harsh breath, "How the hell do you do that?"

Kurapika pointed towards the eight-legged insect crawling by the wall, "By staring at that," and turned the full blast of his eerie stare at Shalnark.

Shalnark had wisely chosen to keep his mouth shut after that—the Kuruta looked like he wanted to stake someone's head on a pike, and he didn't want to be that unfortunate victim.

Kurapika's chains suddenly materialized in his right hand, and after summoning his dowsing chain, the rest of the Spiders could only stare aghast as the chains moved in a revolving blur, making it nearly impossible for them to follow the movements with their naked eyes. The group had to resort to using gyou to monitor the crisscrossing path of the chain ball as it sliced against the wind. When the dowsing chain had finished its job, Kurapika's state was a sight to behold; his blue-colored robes were tattered and drenched in blood; his entire body was now covered in purple bruises; his cheeks were swollen; his lip broken while the bones of his left arm were splintered and hanging limply beside his flank.

Nobunaga, Machi and Phinx maintained stiff composure throughout the ordeal while Shalnark visibly blanched. In the middle of Kurapika's self-infliction of wounds, Franklin, Pakunoda and Kuroro had stepped over to the threshold and watched with mild interest. The Spider head frowned when he saw Kurapika's bloodied and marred face. Holy hell, what was the kid trying to do? Bludgeon himself to death?

Satisfied with the results, Kurapika managed to conceal a sharp wince when he used the tip of his Judgment Chain to inflict a large, gaping gash on his chest, drive yet another hole on his bleeding shoulder, and slashed his hands repeatedly with it. When he finished, his face was rapidly losing whatever color left in it and was turning into a shade of deathly pallor.

Turning back to Coltopi, the blonde held out his shaking bloodied right arm, the slight movement making him wince horribly, "Let's get this over with."

Three seconds later, his duplicate lifeless 'body' was lying in a pool of blood over a pile of rubble. Flinching grimly, Kurapika summoned Holy Chain to heal his wounds—lest he dies of blood loss in the process. And afterwards unsheathed the crested dagger strapped to his right thigh and began to make additional bloody gashes on his 'body'­—without batting an eyelash in the process—not that it wasn't convincing enough already.

Shalnark nearly shuddered in disgust, it was one thing to kill; but it was another thing to stab and strip your own body into a state of nearly turning it into a churning mess of bloody carcass with your own bare hands. The only thing missing there was a casket and it will be good as ready to call it a funeral. Hell, even his own mother wouldn't recognize the body if he kept on doing _that_ good of a job at it.

Resisting the urge to gag, Shalnark nearly praised the heavens that that it wasn't _his_ body being carved up like a stuffed turkey for Thanksgiving dinner right now. For crying out loud, the least the Kuruta could do was to let Feitan have the honor of brutally carving his body up, it would be a hell lot better to stomach since the sadistic freak certainly knows how to do his job—plus, they were all used to it. But then again, it could only happen when pigs sprout wings and fly across oceans.

Tossing the blood-covered dagger to the ground, Kurapika turned on his heel, only to find several Spider members gaping at him disbelievingly. Deciding to play it cool, he gave the group a bored glance and marched past them with an indifferent shrug, "I'll be ready in two minutes."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Your former employer won't be able to recognize you even if you walked right past him," the Spider head gave Kurapika a full body appraisal, from the top of his hat to the tips of his leather boots. Though his focus kept straying back to the blonde's unscrupulous face, it was still indeed a sight for sore eyes.

"He won't be there."

"Really?" Kuroro closed his eyes in calm satisfaction and loosely crossed his arms in front of his chest. For once, the Kuruta's voice was calm and somehow approachable, a bit reserved maybe, but it was no longer holding ill contempt and aloofness in it. His face was devoid of any emotion, but his eyes held an impassive stare boring into the Spider head's blank face.

"Nostrad's power-hungry, but he's not stupid," Kurapika muttered under his breath and averted his eyes when they had boarded the train and taken the seats near the door.

"What makes you say that?"

"He won't risk his sole source of income and power getting harmed."

Kuroro nodded in solemn agreement, it was true that the Mafia only prioritized financial and political status above all else. Observing the compartment of the crowded train with a brief, calculating sweep of the area, he signaled for the other Genei Ryodan to move towards the doors. All of them were dressed in casual clothes to blend in, as they can't risk walking in the streets in their usual garb without causing any alarm. Franklin, who was half a body taller than everyone else, traveled by foot with Nobunaga and Bonorenofu in tow, as his mere presence stood out in a crowd and was enough to send nearby people to scurry and alert the authorities. Nobunaga was with him because he couldn't stomach the fact that the chain-assassin was traveling in plain sight with the reputed Genei Ryodan—not that it mattered that ordinary people generally don't recognize them unless they were in their usual attire. Bonorenofu, on the hand, stuck out like a sore thumb with his ghastly appearance and wrappings.

Kurapika, absently fingering the sleeve of his shirt, was pondering over the heart of the matter. Seven units of Greed Island game consoles were to be auctioned off today—which also meant Gon and Killua were bound to appear in the bidding proper. However, Kuroro or anyone of the Genei Ryodan cannot harm Gon and Killua because of their 'deal'. That, for certain, was a sure plan which wouldn't backfire on him.

"You know what to do later," Kuroro leaned in and murmured against the blonde's left ear.

Startled, Kurapika scowled and replied testily, "I work best when alone."

"Too bad, it doesn't work that way with us."

"Whatever," the blonde muttered in resignation.

"Danchou." It was Machi, who was dressed in her lavender jumpsuit with her hair unbound, flanked by Hisoka and Shalnark at the sides, "Franklin just called, they've reached the symposium."

Nodding, the ebony-haired man nudged the blonde's side when the train started to slow down, "It's our stop."

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As planned, Kuroro and Kurapika were waiting on the rooftop of a nearby holding across the auction house while Nobunaga and Shalnark staked out the premises. Phinx and Feitan, dressed in their best spring formal, had already entered the building as bidders half an hour ago and reported the layout of the building to their Danchou via Pakunoda—who was disguised as a guest usher. And Franklin and Shizuku were still waiting for Pakunoda's signal at the nearby telephone post.

Nearly ten minutes had gone by when Kurapika suddenly spoke in a deceptively low tone of voice, obviously rattled by the way the Genei Ryodan head had been staring at him for the elapsed time. "Why didn't you kill me that night?"

In answer, Kuroro gave him a sideways glance and smiled knowingly, "It would be a waste to kill someone of your caliber and… unique abilities."

"You wiped out my entire clan," the blonde pointed out emphatically.

Averting his eyes, the Spider head maintained a calm composure as he replied, "An irrevocable error. Had I known that the Kuruta tribe was capable of producing such fine fighters such as yourself, I would've thought twice about the task."

"The results prove to be otherwise," Kurapika strained out in a voice edged with barely controlled fury.

"A grave miscalculation on my part."

"I've already killed one of your men in retaliation, and if I had another chance, I'll kill all of you," Kurapika countered ferociously, referring to Ubogin.

"It is inevitable, your thirst for revenge cannot be quenched. Besides, you are entitled to hold a grudge."

"A _grudge_! Are you fucking _kidding_ me! What the hell did you think of massacring my people? Pigs to a slaughterhouse that they didn't have to mind that the reason why they were being brutally murdered off one by one was because you wanted to gouge out their eyes for their monetary worth! What kind of a sick bastard are you?"

"If you're asking if I felt any satisfaction or pleasure in the act, my answer is no, nor did I feel any remorse over the deed."

"Don't you feel the slightest amount of hatred towards me for killing your friend, just as much as I loathe your existence?" Burning animosity was beginning to spark inside the Kuruta's mind. What the hell was the man made of? Bricks? It must be that for him to be so incapable of feeling anything.

Kuroro replied in a neutral tone without looking at him, "Simple curiosity is what I feel, not petty thoughts of vengeance."

"Petty? Then you didn't even think of avenging him? What kind of a leader… person are you! You don't even value your comrades' lives when they'll give up their own souls for your sake!" Kurapika's nails were digging hard into his palm, his knuckles turning stark white as anger mounted within him, recalling Pakunoda's genuine concern over their Danchou when he'd been taken hostage by him.

"Like what you did for your tribe?" Kuroro gently countered.

Underneath the layer of his brown tinted contact lenses, the Kuruta's eyes burned bright red in furious anger, "I swore upon their graves that I will extract revenge on those who murdered them and retrieve the eyes that lost them their lives, and I will."

"How? Unless you've conveniently forgotten, you're one of us now," the Spider head firmly informed him.

"I may be forced, bullied, coerced and blackmailed into submitting to your whims, but I will not, and shall never become one of you!" Kurapika spat out viciously.

Chuckling softly, the raven-haired man tipped his chin down to stare at Kurapika's flushed face, "You are the most beautiful and interesting specimen," Kuroro had leant forward to brush his knuckles against the blonde's left cheek, his facial expression composed in what could be described as tenderness, thus making Kurapika jerk back in astonishment even as the Spider head stroke his cheek and murmured absently, " Even I don't understand myself anymore…"

With that, Kuroro dropped his caressing hand and resumed his former position by the window, his face completely blank and carefully devoid of any emotion. Baffled and confused, Kurapika could only stare at his companion in puzzled suspicion. However, his inner turmoil skidded to a halting stop when the Spider head jerked at his arm.

"There's the signal," Kuroro stated when he caught the silver glint of metal inside the telephone booth, unconsciously changing the topic at hand, "Time to get this show on the road."

The two moved alongside alleys within the blink of an eye, running past lampposts in a blur and stealing inside the congested building with hardly anyone noticing them. When they reached the east wing of the building, Coltopi and Bonorenofu appeared right beside them, followed by Shalnark and the rest in tow save Feitan, Phinx and Pakunoda—who were to create distractions later on.

Hisoka had arrived alongside Machi, who was threatening to hang him up by the end of his balls if he didn't stop hitting on her then and there.

"Kurapika?" It was the first time Kuroro had ever addressed their Kuruta 'member' by his first name, and was amazed at how easily it rolled off his tongue.

Still scowling and unperturbed by their earlier encounter, Kurapika revealed his dowsing chain—pointedly ignoring the fact that the Spider head had called him by his given name—and began locating the goods that were to be auctioned off. It was no easy feat, as the building was nearly sixty stories high. By the end of his initial search, he'd also started to fidget unconsciously when he'd felt Kuroro's intense stare directed at his back. A few moments later, he turned towards the source of his discomfort and asked, "Do you have the blueprint of the building?"

"No."

Annoyed to the core, the blonde could only continue his near-impossible search, "This could take longer. I'm not very familiar with the building layout."

The dowsing chain suddenly stilled half a minute later, causing a vibrating reaction to the contraption and jerked at its owner's finger. The blonde started dictating the location to his (cough) 'comrades' after reaffirming the accuracy of his search, "West wing. Two levels up from here. Approximately twenty-seven meters away from entry point. Vault is located two yards upon right turn."

"Impressive, those chains of yours are indeed one of a kind."

Kurapika could've sworn Kuroro delivered that awed statement in a tone of smug ardor and satisfaction. But he said nothing in reply, and had already begun to ascend the emergency stairs when Kuroro and the rest moved behind him.

If something could top the boiling point of the Kuruta's frenzied nerves at the moment, it would be right now. Not only was he actually helping the Spiders in locating the booty, he was also in the process of concocting a frantic brainstorm _for_ them on how to usurp the loot without causing an uproar.

The group moved with a speed invisible to the inferior eyes of the Mafia guards, with Kurapika in the lead. Quick reflexes enabled them to arrive at their destination in a matter of seconds, and as Kurapika scaled the vault with his dowsing chain, Franklin had already aimed his nen-powered fingertips at the metal door and rumbled out, "Stay back."

"No, it's protected by nen," the Kuruta held up a hand to hold off Franklin's obvious intentions, "A time-lock system has been built into every metal layer of this thing and wired to every cable connected in the security system. We can't risk alerting the guards."

"We'll just kill them off if they show up," Nobunaga muttered.

"Over my dead body," Kurapika warned the swordsman sharply. The Kuruta's brutally cold tone of voice suggested that there'll be no qualms or objections, else suffer a most violent and gruesome death.

Nobunaga was none too pleased by the Kuruta's warning tone and was on the verge of eagerly obliging him in his death wish. Shalnark had already began sweating bullets when the blonde had cut Nobunaga off, however, he himself was wise enough to keep his own thoughts in check, knowing the risk of triggering impending danger when he saw one. Machi was tapping her fingernail over her crossed arms with Hisoka sporting a lopsided leer while watching the debacle. Kuroro interceded the glaring match and called an immediately halt to the confrontation by simply holding Nobunaga off with a quick whisk of his arm, blocking the samurai's descent on the Kuruta.

"Then what do you suggest we do, genius?" Put off but not easily intimidated, Nobunaga had barked out his retort sarcastically as he could no longer hold on to his mounting anger.

"Nobu, put a lid on it," Franklin had held ground and gave Nobunaga a warning look when the samurai had placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"He's not one of us, you can't possibly let him make decisions for the group!"

"That's for the Danchou to decide, not you."

"Nobunaga, whether you acknowledge it or not, he is part of us now. However unwilling he is," Kuroro stated sternly.

The swordsman's nostrils flared with animosity, "I'll never accept him to be Ubo's replacement!"

Behind the outraged samurai, Franklin spoke in a rare, sarcastic comeback, "You're the one to talk when you practically cackled with glee in excitement during the time you had that impromptu interview with the spiky-haired brats you guys cornered. If my memory serves me right, you were hell-bent on recruiting him to replace Ubogin and wouldn't take no for an answer."

Nobunaga had the grace to flush, but firmly held on to his former vows of vengeance towards the Kuruta, "That was before I knew the kid was in cohorts with _him_," he finished his defense with a quick jerk of his head towards the stone-silent figure of Kurapika.

Ignoring the samurai's jibes, Kurapika's eyes zeroed in on Hisoka and pondered on whether he should actually proceed with his plan. An idea was forming inside his head, and though he wasn't exactly pleased about 'assisting' the Genei Ryodan in their pilferage—not to mention he'd have to deal with the freaky pervert of the group in the process, but he was rather thankful that Kuroro hadn't rebutted his argument and thus reduced the possible amount of blood to be shed that day.

"You use _enka_ (manipulative nen)," the blonde said curtly. Upon Hisoka's slow nod, Kurapika plunged on, "Can you open the vault using your nen without risking exposure?"

Hisoka hummed thoughtfully, making everyone's hair stand on its end, before replying in a rather annoying singsong voice with a wag of his finger, "Only if someone can break the security code, otherwise, I'll raise the alarm."

Kuroro chose that moment to intervene once more and signaled for Shalnark to make his move.

"I'm on it," Shalnark supplied before crouching down to a kneeling position with his laptop at hand to begin decoding. Since he was a _sousa_ (control) user, it enabled him to use his nen to infiltrate and override the software program designed to lock the vault in less a quarter of the normal amount of time it would take a professional hacker to get past the system. When the sandy-haired genius had finished with his task, he gave Kurapika a wary glance at the corner of his eye before speaking, "Hisoka can take care of the nen blockade."

Kurapika nodded to Hisoka to begin the process of unlatching the door by using his nen to manipulate the coordinates to open it, and Kuroro motioned for Machi to serve as backup for the clown in rapid succession, not that he doubted Hisoka's abilities, but it was necessary for precaution. "Machi, when that door opens, make sure that the clock wired in it stops running while we take care of the loot—but don't destroy it, we're just going to make it appear as though nothing happened."

The indigo-haired lady nodded curtly in response, and upon the release of the inner latch together with Hisoka's shrill whistle, she executed her near-invisible strings and quarantined the winding mechanism of the digital timer, paralyzing the movement of the said clock, "Ready."

"Shizuku, Coltopi, get to work."

Nobunaga had been seething in red-faced anger during the entire ordeal, but restrained himself from committing cold-blooded murder when Kuroro and Franklin each had given him a warning look.

Coltopi set out to begin the duplication of the stored treasures, and after doing so, Shizuku would 'vacuum' it up with Deme-chan. Kurapika observed the two females at work, and concluded that the two were accomplished gugenka users—tremendous assets to the Genei Ryodan, as one could copy anything under the sun and the other one to store anything she wanted—regardless of quantity, form or size, as long as it stays inside her 'vacuum sweeper' for safekeeping. Loss of one could definitely put a temporary, but still a paralyzing halt to the group's activities and cut out a huge chunk of profits off their usual accumulation. He carefully stored that information in his mind for future reference.

Inwardly berating himself for going along with the Genei Ryodan's plans, Kurapika could only glower and observe the two females at work. So absorbed in his inner thoughts that he nearly missed one particular object sitting inside a crystal case with gold strips intricately woven into it.

His eyes glowed red beneath his contact lenses as he stared disbelievingly at the phoenix-shaped amulet. There was no mistaking its craftsmanship nor its legacy, for the piece of jewelry bore the Kuruta symbol of life; it was one of the ancient Kuruta crests lost during the clan's annihilation by the Genei Ryodan.

The crest belonged to his dearly departed mother.

Bile rose up his throat as overwhelming waves of nausea clouded his nerves. Feeling as though someone had taken a swing at him, he swayed dangerously before placing a steady foot inside the vault. Breathing harshly, he pushed past a startled Kuroro and strode purposefully towards Shizuku in a near-trancelike manner. The other Spiders gave him identical looks of puzzlement as he held out a trembling hand towards the confused girl.

"Give me that amulet," the blonde spoke calmly in a wintry tone of voice as he held out his hand, palm up.

Shizuku's eyebrows drew together in utter confusion with Kurapika's quiet order, and her eyes swiveled to Kuroro for assistance. And at their Danchou's curt nod, she reluctantly placed the jewelry in Kurapika's open palm.

"What is it?" Kuroro spoke calmly as he cautiously approached the pale-faced blonde, taking careful notice of the fluctuating waves of errant aura surrounding Kurapika's entire frame. He was treading on dangerous ground right now, as he felt the fulminating currents sweep past him. One wrong move and all hell will break loose.

The Kuruta didn't grace him with an answer but instead gave him a cold, vacant stare that nearly chilled his blood.

Kurapika wasn't hearing anything at all, for images of his tortured past came back to haunt him. The scent of fresh blood and gore seemed to fill his senses once more as his mind started replaying flashbacks of his bloody history—of his coming home only to find the mutilated bodies of his clansmen scattered all over their territory of the Rukuso region—with their eyes gouged out of their sockets as blood continued to ooze out of the bloodied corpses. He remembered finding his mother's rat-infested body lying facedown in a pool of her own blood on the bank of the once crystal blue stream behind their home; the trail of blood that lingered on the cedar pillars of their rickety porch as he found the lifeless body of his sister lying eagle-spread on the steps—her blood-matted face still twisted in frozen shock and pain while her mouth still bore the telltale signs of terror and endless screaming.

Hundreds of glowing scarlet eyes seemed to envelope his entire body as he fought the first onslaught of paranoia crawling at the back of his mind while guttural and whimpering sounds gathered at his lodged throat. His entire body quaked with indescribable spasms of muted violence as the images kept on flashing from behind his tightly closed eyes.

Kuroro's eyes darted towards the amulet in Kurapika's hand, and the nerves in his stomach twisted into tight knots upon recognition of the priceless object. He'd felt as though someone had landed a solid punch at him in the gut. The pain etched on the Kuruta's face nearly became his undoing. Shoving all the unwanted emotions stirred within him by the mere look on the blonde's face, he braced a steady hand on Kurapika's trembling shoulder and shook him harshly. "Sit down before you keel over."

Coming out of his catatonic trance but paying no heed to Kuroro's voice, the Kuruta felt his surroundings swirl and smother his senses before collapsing down on the cemented floor like rigging on a sea-wrecked ship. The amulet clattered noisily onto the cold ground while his terror-induced eyes followed the path taken by the ornate jewelry as it slid towards a booted foot.

The amulet stopped short just by mere centimeters away from the tips of Kuroro's leather covered feet. And as the Spider head stared down broodingly at the piece of gold, he felt the blonde's lifeless stare directed at him and carefully masked his worry behind a pokerfaced stare. Bending down to retrieve the jewelry, he kept his gaze locked on Kurapika's widened eyes glazed in sorrow.

After carefully placing the amulet in Kurapika's hand, he stood up and slowly took a step backward.

Time stilled for the occupants of the vault as they stared at the heaving form of Kurapika while he tried to get his breath back. Clutching the golden crest tightly in his right palm after his repossession of the object, he stared at his companions blindly as they continued to look on.

The images began to fade slowly as the clock began to tick forward again after spinning off course a few moments back. Though shaken and still disoriented, the blonde had finally gotten hold of his haywire senses and managed to force himself to calm down while trying to get his grip back on reality.

Kuroro didn't speak, but extended a steady hand towards the traumatized blonde in a silent gesture of help. Kurapika ignored the gesture and managed to stand up on wobbly feet without assistance. He refused to speak, ignoring all other occupants of the room for fear of losing his wavering control over the internal battle of hatred erupting inside him.

The Spider head retrieved his rejected hand back, and as Kurapika slowly made his way back towards the entrace of the vault, he signaled for Coltopi and Shizuku to continue with the matter at hand.

Franklin and Shalnark had given the blonde a wide berth when he moved past them without sparing a sideward glance and stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the scrape of feet closing in behind him.

"We'll settle this later." Kuroro addressed him briskly without breaking his casual stride as he moved to stand beside Kurapika's still form.

After usurping all the contents of the vault and replacing all of them with carbon-copy replicas, Shizuku and Coltopi emerged from the metal chamber and nodded to their Danchou while Machi disengaged her strings from the time lock system.

"Stage one complete. Tell Phinx and Paku to start phase two of the plan," Kuroro informed Shalnark curtly before turning back to Kurapika and motioned for him to exit the premises with a slow tilt of his head.

Shalnark sucked in his breath in nervousness before cautiously approaching the silent Kurapika in a worried gesture of a temporary truce by softly touching the blonde's arm with his fingertips, "Kurapika-san."

"Don't touch me," the Kuruta lashed out harshly in a carefully frigid and modulated tone of voice, but didn't move a muscle to shrug the unwanted hand off. Shalnark retreated back swiftly and gave his Danchou a helpless look as the blonde swept past him without a backward glance.

"Well, that was interesting." Hisoka proclaimed cheerfully in his usual mocking saccharine tone before extending a gallant arm towards Machi—who pointedly ignored his attempt at chivalry and walked past him as though he were invisible.

"Now that was rude," Hisoka murmured thoughtfully into thin air.

(To be continued…) 

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**Notes:** I suck… Somebody kill me! Damn it… one pointless chapter—things are getting crazier by the minute every time I work on this fic. I need to get my eyeglasses checked, it's making my eyes bulge out of their sockets… not to mention making them bone-weary. I think I've managed to murder off half the supply of my remaining brain cells writing this chapter. Hell, and I thought writing the framework of my thesis wiped them all out already.

Also, sorry for the very, very late update, the humongous amount of typo errors,_ and_ the overly long endnotes … I've just got some things to clarify. I've yet to start working on the next chapter, so… just hang in there, I'm still trying to resurrect my deceased brain cells and hopefully pump some juice into them. I have absolutely no idea when the next installment will be posted, but for sure it won't be sometime soon. I'm going to have to drag myself to a brick wall and bang my head on it for hours to get some brighter and crazier ideas for the next chapter.

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**Response to reviews: **

Okay, round two… **_please read this part, please, I beg of you!_** I don't want to keep on repeating myself again and again in every chapter…

As I've mentioned in response to _kasugai gummie_-san_'_s review in chapter two, _lynlyn_-san's fic did give me the idea of the Kuroro x Kurapika pairing (it's so adorable!), as well as the boost for 'deal' made between them using the Judgment Chain. The reason why I used it: it's about the only goddamn thing that would make sense! With Gon and Killua's lives at stake, the only way to placate and ensure Kurapika's cooperation is to make a sacred oath—thus in comes the Judgment Chain and its binding contracts. And of course you know that the Genei Ryodan will never strike a bargain without asking anything in return, so there you have Kurapika undoubtedly and irrevocably stuck with them. It's a two-way agreement, if one breaks it, then he loses his life as the consequence, as simple as that.

**Akira Shadow**-san, I believe the paragraph above answers to your observations. Thank you for reviewing, I really appreciate your trouble in finding time for it!

Hey there, **the simple mind**-san, I'd gladly let you get rid of my writer's block if it were possible… it's driving me nuts! I've got another dose of it coming in for the kill for chapter five… someone better hand me a shotgun and start blasting Pakunoda's nen bullets at me. I swear I'm annihilating all my remaining brain cells fixing up these goddamn plots.

**Klappy**-san, the process of torturing Nobunaga was quite fun… you'll have to thank Hisoka's wily nature for that. In response to your last comment, I think you're referring to the last statement made by Kurapika in the previous chapter. The dialogue incorporates, "That's right" as the starting words of the dialogue—in explanation, it means, "That is correct", and not the direction. Hope I'm answering the right, err, correct question, 'coz I'm not sure if I fully understood what you were trying to imply, too ambiguous for my poor brain to decipher. Thanks for reviewing!

Thanks a bunch to **Kurapy**-san and **dragonmage27**-san for helping me out with the Nostrad dilemma.

**Kurapy**-san, thanks for keeping up with me, and yeah, I love torturing those poor souls. Maybe Feitan's sadistic streak's implanted in me somewhere. I think Nobunaga will slice and dice me into pieces if I even considered letting Kurapika call him a pervert.

And lastly, to **kuroro12**-san, I understand that you prefer straightforward conversations between each character without the ceremonial description of every action or detail. However, I'd like to let you know that this is a story and not a dialogue. I cannot manage to disregard that fact, so I cannot, and will not omit the describing details as you've put it. Hope you understand, we all have our own way of writing, and this is my style. I'm really glad you loved my last chapter, I was sugar-high and a frustrated canary was singing off-key by my windowsill at that time, so I just tortured Nobu-chan with the idea. Thanks for reviewing!

**Amari Koorime**-san, **kuroro12**-san: For the Kuroro x Kurapika romantic interludes, well, you'll have to be patient with me. I've already made Kuroro out to be so OOC since the first chapter, I don't want to spoil his trademark Danchou image and turn him into a romantic fool just yet. The foundation of their future relationship is currently being laid out as I gradually work on the story. Also, I don't think Kuroro is that shallow to directly plunge into a relationship with Kurapika this early on without knowing more about his desired half—not to mention Kurapika hates his guts. I've still got to mellow down Kurapika's cold attitude and his everlasting hatred towards the Genei Ryodan. It's not living up to its genre now because I don't want to rush into things, I like to take things slowly, and if you can't stand that, then sorry, but this is how I write it. Thank you so much for sharing your feedbacks and opinions though, it means a lot to me! Sankyuu! Btw, **Amari Koorime**-san, if you want to know when I update this fic, just… check for the update itself on or just use the author alert e-mail option. I don't exactly have all the time in the world to send emails to everyone who just tells me to do so. Hope you understand. Thanks also to **mistressKC**-san, **TrisTaNia**-san, **EmptySoul**-san and **Keeper**-san for reviewing.


	5. The Eye of the Storm

**Title: _Blood Pact_**

**Author:** Blitz Magnus

**Chapter:** 5?

**Status:** newly uploaded

**Pairings:** future Kuroro x Kurapika

**Genre:** Humor/Romance + a bit of Drama/Adventure

**Warnings:** This fic contains shounen-ai (male x male relationship). So if you don't and can't stomach this kind of genre, don't read. Characters are major OOC. This is a product of boredom, an endless spiral of empty space, and a lame attempt at making fiction. You have been forewarned, so no flames regarding these matters. OOC Feitan on the loose, as well as tortured Shalnark.

**Rating: **PG-13 (T)

**Disclaimer:** _Hunter x Hunter_© original story and characters belong not to me, but to the legendary Yoshihiro Togashi.

**Author's Notes:** The timeline is set at the end of the OVA, right after Kuroro's capture by Kurapika, and picks up in between the OVA and the Greed Island arc. The events of the story take place after the negotiations between Pakunoda and Kurapika are over, as well as the exchange of hostages. Changes made in the actual series for the purpose of writing this fic are as follows: 1.) Kurapika was not able to seal Kuroro's nen off during his confinement, 2.) Kurapika did not take off his disguise as a female hotel receptionist during the entire confrontation between him and the Danchou, 3.) Pakunoda never revealed Kurapika's weakness to the spiders (meaning she didn't die), 4.) Hisoka has yet to uncover his betrayal to the Genei Ryodan (meaning he didn't show up during the hostage exchange).

**Summary:** With Gon and Killua safely back into the fold and out of harm's way after negotiations with the Genei Ryodan were concluded, Kuroro Lucifer makes his move on the unsuspecting Kurapika and roped him into becoming a part of them, indirectly, on the aftermath of their encounter. Kurapika, in turn, manages to learn more about the Kuruta Red-Eyes in his stay with the Genei Ryodan and he's less than happy with the results as he got more than what he'd bargained for. Never did he dream that he'd turn into one of them, and things get more complicated when he realized he'd fallen for the enemy.

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Chapter Five: The Eye of the Storm 

It was hard to tell who looked the grimmest at the moment, since everyone was as jittery as rabbits trapped inside a hungry wolf's den. It was impossible to tell what could, and would possibly happen next.

Kuroro had been sporting the most intense and piercing stare plastered on his face while Kurapika's ashen complexion looked as though he'd gone through hell and back, as his features were as inscrutable as a newly polished slate of tabula rasa. Hell, even Hisoka was keeping his mouth shut, and _that_ was saying something.

The infamous group was now currently staying at a rundown inn near the border of the city after their purge in the auction house. Once Pakunoda and Phinx had informed their Danchou—via cellular phone, that they'd finished planting the necessary arrangements inside the Mafia holding, the remaining group had immediately moved on to the next stage of their operation.

They'd broken off into pairs and trios as they waded in and out of daylight traffic. It was too conspicuous to travel by train now, considering that Nobunaga's frayed sleeves were damp with freshly spilt blood and Franklin was by no means to be qualified as an everyday individual, so they opted to travel by foot, as they could outrun any ordinary human being with their unnatural speed without being seen. Most of all, they wanted to keep a low profile, having one blustering, cantankerous samurai carrying a katana and the Frankenstein wannabe as travel company was alarming enough, and although Kurapika wasn't doing any waterworks or spewing out curses at the event prior to that, it was still quite a fright to see him in his current state. He was walking in a daze and paid no attention at all as to whom he was travelling with even as Kuroro nodded at the rest to take off and leave the pair of them alone.

Shalnark was damn sure Kuroro was the bravest, if not the unluckiest and craziest man on earth, to volunteer to be the one saddled with the burden of coaxing the zoned-out Kurapika of travelling with _him_ of all people—there was no telling what was going on inside the Kuruta's mind right now, and Shalnark, being a cautious being by nature that he was, was feeling quite uneasy about the entire situation. Oh well, it was a whole lot better than letting Nobunaga handle the job, as simple things such as coaxing could get instantly gory in less than two seconds flat. Nobunaga was the type of guy who blew insignificant things out of proportion… And come to think of it, weren't all _kyouka_ (strengthen) users that obnoxious in their personality? Ubogin certainly was no exception to that flaw, and the pint-sized spiky-haired brat Nobunaga was hell-bent on replacing Ubo with also acted first without bothering to think about the possible consequences.

"I'll see you back at the inn."

At Kuroro's suggestion, the group had taken immediate refuge under the shelter of the shabby, but spacious inn located in the outskirts of the city. Though the makeshift motel was not entirely pleasing to the eye with regards to its surroundings, it still made do since it was probably the most secluded shelter they could find in the vicinity and the least cramped as well. At least the accommodations comprised of warm baths and properly furnished bedrooms, and they couldn't ask for anything better as they've practically been living off rubble and cement slabs during their stay at the abandoned warehouse.

Kurapika had been eerily silent throughout the entire journey, which completely spooked Shalnark out considering the fact that they had to knock down the two unsuspecting guards at the backdoor of the auction building earlier during their escape from the premises. It was a hell of a lot scarier than having Ubogin attempting to shower him with kisses in gratitude.

Franklin and Nobunaga had also swiped out a barrage of attacks in the middle of the unprepared encounter, and the samurai had 'accidentally' severed off one of the guards' head in the process just to deliberately goad the blonde. Kurapika had shocked everyone senseless in the vicinity when his eyes remained tightly shuttered and walked away from the bloody scene without emitting a single word of outrage or protest.

Shalnark had exchanged nervous looks with their Danchou the moment the blonde turned the corner, though Kuroro gave no sign of discomfort at the Kuruta's odd behaviour. The computer prodigy scratched his head and shrugged, before nudging Franklin and beckoned at him to restrain Nobunaga's more than predictable outburst at the blonde's lack of reaction.

True enough, the samurai didn't disappoint anyone and instantly transformed into a raving lunatic preaching about how combatants ought to react when faced with a challenge and launched into a series of so on and so forth. Bloody hell, the man could go on for hours without hyperventilating if they let him—Franklin remedied that dilemma by simply plucking the blustering swordsman off his feet and swung him onto one broad shoulder—knocking the air out of the perpetual ranting machine's lungs.

"The hell do you think you're doing, Franklin!" Nobunaga had sputtered out incredulously as he fought against a smothering pair of hefty biceps.

"Shutting you up, you're giving everyone a massive headache."

Shalnark had agreed inwardly with the demi-giant, though he didn't voice it out loud, knowing he'd further provoke the red-faced Nobunaga into launching into another spitting bout of freshly induced outrage. The sandy blonde-haired man jerked a thumb at Franklin and the trio had immediately taken off at a fast sprint. The rest had followed suit, leaving Kuroro to deal with the tight-lipped Kurapika.

He decided to pretend as though nothing had happened, knowing no other way to get the Kuruta to comply without creating a ruckus, he merely stepped over to the blonde's side and murmured an order in an almost indistinct voice, "Let's go."

And so they had ended up walking together in the streets of York Shin City under the sweltering heat of the sun, with Kuroro in the lead while the silent blonde trailed behind him.

Upon reaching their destination, the two had parted with each other towards their designated rooms to seek refuge in their own private thoughts. Shalnark had the misfortune to come across an ashen-faced Kurapika when he'd sought solace in his room with his laptop and very nearly freaked out.

The blonde's pale pallor had gotten worse compared to his initial reaction when he saw the amulet earlier. Shalnark had stood very still in the archway of his own quarters next to the Kuruta's while keeping an observant eye at his would-be neighbour as Kurapika padded his way into the room.

"Kurapika-san?" the computer prodigy dared a tiny amount of worry to lace his otherwise calm voice while addressing the dull-eyed blonde.

Kurapika didn't bother to give him the courtesy of a decent reply, but promptly shut the door to his own chamber and it remained locked after that. Shalnark let out his breath in a relieved whoosh, before jogging down to the adjacent room across his own, intending to track down Franklin—only to barge in on a half-naked, still dripping wet Hisoka.

An automated response seemed to work mechanically inside the genius' brain, as he bowed stiffly and exited the premises under a pretense of dignified air—though his brain had stopped working altogether when he saw the leer on the demented clown's face when his eyes had landed on him.

The moment he had the door closed, he had immediately bolted out of peripheral sight and had gone back into his own room. Goosebumps covered his skin as he shuddered visibly, walking in on a pissed off Kurapika and Nobunaga engaged in combat was sheer heaven compared to what he had just experienced. It was the most frightening experience of a lifetime, and the look on Hisoka's face was bound to give him nightmares even in broad daylight, how he was ever going to be able to look at the clown in the eye again, he didn't know. He only knew that he'd rather be dead and buried twenty feet underground before coming within ten-meter radius contact of the lunatic pervert ever again.

It was nearly midday when Machi had pounded on his and Kurapika's door to tell them that they were having an impromptu meeting in the den of the holding. The penny-pinching innkeeper had graciously allowed Kuroro to make use of the spacious den (probably the only part of the inn decent enough to hold a discussion in) only after he'd charmed her into letting them use it free of charge by flashing a killer smile at her.

When Shalnark opened his door, the adjoining room beside his also opened and Kurapika emerged from it, and though the disoriented blonde still looked disturbingly dishevelled, he had monotonously made his way towards the direction of the den. Shalnark had discreetly followed behind him so as not to further irritate the foul-tempered blonde.

Upon entering the den, the computer prodigy felt the hair at the back of his neck prickle. He thoroughly ignored the annoying sensation, knowing there would be no one else doing it but the damned jester trying to catch him off guard. Of all the people he could've walked in on, why did it have to be the perverted freak? Hell, he'd rather be beaten into a bloody pulp by Pakunoda or Machi rather than see Hisoka—much less without clothes on—the mere memory of it made him want to puke.

Pakunoda, Phinx and Feitan had already arrived, and by the looks of it, had the time of their lives, as Phinx was nowhere to be seen voicing out smart-mouthed comments at anyone and Feitan was blissfully silent for once. Grudgingly, Shalnark admitted that his own activities hadn't been too bad, if only Kurapika hadn't pulled that heart-palpitating stunt and was looking grimmer every damn moment as he sat there by the far corner of the room.

Kuroro hadn't spoken a single word during the entire exchange of murmurs and whispers by his comrades. Pakunoda, Phinx and Feitan had been given a brief rundown of events that had happened by Machi and Shizuku. The tall female had given no outward reaction except to touch Machi's arm—who had given her permission to read her memories, using her nen ability to replay today's earlier events blow by blow inside the healer's mind to get a photographic idea of the surprising incident.

Franklin and Nobunaga had long since abandoned their earlier spat during the swordsman's square off with the chain assassin at the vault incident and were now diligently keeping watchful eyes on the two brooding figures of their Danchou and Kuruta 'member'.

"What are the odds all hell will break loose once that diminutive blondie opens his mouth?" Feitan whispered from the corner of his mouth at Phinx.

Phinx raised an incredulous eyebrow at the description of Kurapika by their resident sadist. He had the nerve to comment about the blonde's lack of height when he was practically the shortest excuse for a man he'd ever seen in his entire lifetime. The taller man didn't grace his companion with an answer.

Shalnark had approached the stone-silent Kurapika tentatively while trying to decipher the unreadable expression on the blonde's face. Either he was stupid or crazy, but one way or another, he'd have to do it. He'd only started to open his mouth when a sharp word of caution from the Danchou jerked him back.

"Shalnark."

The computer prodigy gave a startled jump at Kuroro's intrusion and nearly yelped in surprise. It was the first eloquent word Kuroro had ever spoken out loud since their arrival.

"Just leave him be."

Seeing the wisdom of Kuroro's suggestion, Shalnark nodded in silent agreement with his Danchou's order and distanced himself from the quiet blonde. Although he allowed his point of vision to stray as far as making eye contact solely with Kuroro alone, as the computer prodigy still hadn't had the gumption to look at Hisoka squarely in the eye after that fateful shower incident.

It didn't sit well with Kuroro to just leave things unsettled, but at the moment, it was the lesser of the two evils.

"We will be leaving for Lufa tomorrow at daybreak. Time is of utmost importance if we want to make it in time for the festival. We should be travelling lightly on foot, but it would be better to stock on your winter gear."

Everyone had nodded almost immediately, save Kurapika—who couldn't care less if he were present in the conference or not—though he was most curious about the festival the Spider leader was referring to. After all, the Genei Ryodan doesn't just drop in on country festivals for the mere sake of free food and entertainment.

"We will also be travelling the usual way—in pairs of twos and threes. Bonorenofu, Shizuku, and Coltopi will be the first to depart at the crack of dawn. Machi and Hisoka will be next, followed by Paku and Phinx. Nobunaga and Franklin will be catching up with you later on and then they should be on the lead by the third day."

Machi had scowled fiercely at her assigned travel arrangements, but had chosen to keep silent about her obvious disapproval of the Danchou's choice. Shalnark, on the other hand, had been inwardly relieved he wouldn't be placed in the same travel group with the freaky clown. There was no telling what sorts of devious stunts the demented jester could cook up in the middle of the journey, it was bad enough experiencing it once, a second one would probably mean his doom. The techno-genius could only sympathize with Machi's rotten luck at getting partners.

"Feitan, Shalnark, you two will be the last to depart, after Kurapika and I check out."

A movement by the corner of the room caught their rapt attention, as the blonde finally stood up from his slouched position and, from the looks of it, was back to his normal, reserved self again. Kurapika's eyes had returned to their usual blue-green color and if the slight sneer playing at the corner of his mouth was any indication of it, Shalnark would bet anything he had in his possession that the blonde was dying to leave the room right that moment without risking any privy interrogation directed at him. That shunted, dull look was gone from his face and his eyes were slowly regaining their former glimmer of wariness and caution as he pondered whether or not to voice out his displeasure at his travel arrangements, and finally, opted to stay stonily silent at the end of his internal debate.

For a moment there, Shalnark thought the blonde was about to open his mouth and comment sarcastically about his travel company, but he surprised all of them by giving them a cool, bland stare instead—that was totally unnerving considering his former demeanor of mental instability, and spoke levelly, "Are we finished?"

Kuroro nodded in affirmation to his demand, and after a heartbeat of seconds, he voiced out everyone's silent question in a soft-spoken request, "Would you mind telling us what happened back there?"

Obviously expecting the inevitable interrogation, though he was quite surprised the Spider head had asked for his consent to open up to them rather than demand it from him, Kurapika held out the confiscated amulet in his hand and released the verbal bomb to his 'cohorts' in an indifferent manner, "It belonged to my mother."

The fake gesture of casual indifference didn't fool Kuroro one bit, for he knew an underlying amount of pent-up suppressed hatred laced that deceptive statement. One just had to read between the lines to get the gist of it.

Most of them had been taken aback by the abrupt confession; leaving only Kuroro to remain calm at the shocking reply. Shalnark had looked thunderstruck when the blonde had spoken out loud, and even Pakunoda had been stunned speechless by the declaration. Nobunaga's face was screwed up into a frown while Phinx was mulling over the discovery seconds after Kurapika uttered the words. Machi blinked once, and it was the only outward sign of telltale awkwardness at the topic she had ever shown.

Hisoka didn't so much as blink, but he had the grace to temporarily wipe off that permanent smirk on his face in respect for the dearly departed and henceforth maintained a sober attitude so unsuited for the likes of him—Feitan was the only one who noticed the subtle change and nearly doubled back in disbelief as the look on the clown's face appeared to be so out of place that it took a whole minute for his brain to process that single piece of information. It was absolutely priceless.

"How did it end up in the hands of the Mafia?" Shizuku asked Kurapika innocently—obviously unaware of the sensitivity of the topic. Shalnark chanced a look of hopelessness towards the oblivious girl as mental gears inside his brain stopped functioning altogether. Dear Lord, how much denser could the girl get?

Kurapika gave her a careless shrug of his shoulders and muttered an almost inaudible, "No idea."

"We took no baubles nor valuables from the Kuruta during the siege, only the eyes, that I can assure you."

Kurapika wasn't sure who felt more shocked by Kuroro's revelation—him or the other Spider members. Though it was obvious that the man hadn't exactly mentioned it just for the heck of saying something plausible from the hard tone of his voice, it was still the first time the Spider leader had ever volunteered information concerning their role in the Kuruta massacre without Kurapika drilling it into him. Shalnark, Pakunoda and Franklin had looked uneasy about the topic, but nevertheless kept stiff composure during their leader's statement of the facts.

"I wasn't accusing you of it."

For the second time that day, Kurapika had shocked everyone senseless with his unpredictable train of thoughts.

Rendered speechless, Kuroro could only give the blonde a piercing, perusal stare while everyone looked on. It was evident that nobody could rouse a proper reply to the outspoken statement—it was too shocking to believe, much less absorb since the Kuruta had literally damned their existence since he'd heard of them.

"I buried my mother with it before I left to become a hunter," the blonde explained curtly in answer to everyone's dazed looks.

Even Nobunaga had trouble stringing words together, the blonde had not only spoken of the matter calmly, but he was actually clearing them of the damning crime of stealing his mother's jewelry! Good grief, what in the whole wide world was going on?

Nearly everyone who had actively participated in the massacre had remained tongue-tied, as no one else dared to speak about it in front of the Kuruta survivor after recent events.

"I'd like to keep it if you don't mind," Kurapika suddenly blurted out in a neutral and modulated tone, keeping in mind to choose his words carefully and delivered them in a courteous manner, lest the raven-haired man refuses his request.

Kuroro had given him an even, unblinking stare, and the blonde nearly thought he was about to tell him to go to hell when the Spider head nodded amiably and stood up, "Do as you please."

Kurapika relaxed his tense shoulders, before making a beeline back to his room with the amulet clutched tight in his fist. Shalnark was quite sure he wasn't the only who noticed the blonde's restrained actions, he'd caught the strange, guarded look in the Kuruta's inscrutable eyes and his eyes immediately zeroed in on Kurapika's clenched fingers. When he turned to gauge his comrades' reactions, he noticed that nearly everyone was avoiding to make eye contact with the blonde—only Hisoka dared to look at him squarely in the eye, but was wise enough not to say anything at all.

Nobody had the guts to object to that particularly sensitive subject after that, unless of course they wanted to be flayed and skewered alive by none other than Kuroro himself.

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Everything seemed to be going back to normalcy once more, as Nobunaga had once again engaged the furious blonde into a shouting match and was making such a bloody uproar that everyone in the inn had woken up grumbling and groggily left their rooms to find the source of the commotion.

They found the two bellowing at the top of their voices by the entrance of the bathroom. Apparently, Kurapika had decided to take a midnight stroll to visit the chamber pot and had walked in on Nobunaga—again.

"It's not my fault you don't know the fundamental functions of a door as well as a _lock_!" the blonde roared out indignantly.

"Don't start using those smart-ass words at me, you goddamn know-it-all brat! The least you could do was have the decency to knock!" Nobunaga yelled in the same ominous tone.

"I knocked, you knucklehead! You must be as deaf as a post if you didn't hear it!"

"You purposely barged through that door, so admit it!" the red-faced samurai bellowed back.

"How many times do I have to tell you, you old, insufferable goat! I didn't do it on purpose!" The term 'old' seemed to hit a nerve, as Nobunaga's red face turned purple with barely suppressed anger.

The swordsman seethed as he glared resentfully at the equally enraged blonde. It was the second time the blonde had walked in on him in the bathroom, and it has got to be the most humiliating position anyone had ever seen him in. Curse the streak of misfortune that seemed to exist for the sole purpose of jinxing him, he still hadn't forgotten that embarrassing incident in the warehouse—as Phinx never failed to remind him of it everyday. He was rather thankful he had foregone his usual loincloth this time and opted to wear boxers, else he'll never hear the end of it from Phinx and Feitan.

"What the hell's going on, you loud blokes! You're waking up even the dead with that racket!" a bleary-eyed Phinx demanded in a near shout—he was dreadfully cranky when he was deprived of sleep.

Kurapika remained stubbornly silent, but Nobunaga obviously wanted the entire world to know his distress when he literally advertised it in his booming voice, "Stupid git barged in on me!"

"For the last time, you thick-headed numbskull, I did not _barge_ in!"

"The results prove to be otherwise!"

An eyebrow twitched violently above the blonde's right eye, "What sort of mentally sane person would deliberately walk in on someone else's bathroom activities!"

"A perverted one?" Hisoka called out slyly in between the hurls of insults.

Kurapika and Nobunaga growled simultaneously and shot the clown murderous looks that spelled instant death before resuming their pointless argument. Kuroro resisted the urge to stare disbelievingly at the gall of Hisoka to call anyone perverted when he was practically the epitome of a full-fledged perverted maniac ever to walk the land. Shalnark's pallor had turned milk white and Pakunoda was close to choking in an attempt to cover up her cough of incredulity. Machi pointedly ignored the ironic comment, as she had had enough experience dealing with the perverted clown to last anyone an entire lifetime.

After successfully shutting Hisoka off, Kuroro had taken one look at the dishevelled appearances of the group and promptly called an immediate halt to the shouting contest, "Kurapika, would you care to explain?"

Obligingly, Kurapika relayed the events prior to the incident, from his knocking of the open bathroom door to entering it when he had received no reply in return, but upon his entrance, Nobunaga had yelled in outrage and startled the sleepy Kurapika into alertness. The Kuruta had obviously walked in on Nobunaga while he was doing his lavatory activities and therefore had resulted into another round of hurling obscenities and threats at each other.

"Nobu, did you lock the door?" Shalnark asked with a sleepy yawn.

"Obviously not, would he be able to enter if it were?" Nobunaga barked sarcastically and glared at him as though he was the dumbest creature alive—he was ready to jump at somebody's throat and rip it out by now.

"Why didn't you?" the sandy blonde-haired man prodded in exasperation even as everyone rolled their eyes in the same sentiment.

"Er… the lights were out."

"Nobu, we have a power shortage in case you're too thick to notice. And what connection is there between busted lights and unlocked doors?"

"I don't see in the dark!"

Shalnark gave him an I-don't believe-you-look before relenting, "Your point is?"

"I didn't lock it because I didn't want to grope around in the dark!"

The room remained eerily silent after that particular statement, though Nobunaga looked very much like a fish floundering out of water with the way he was going on with his tirade. If looks could kill, Nobunaga would very much be dead and buried by now with the way the other Spiders were glaring at him. The rest of the Spiders seem to think so, as they realized that the samurai's lack of logical reasoning skills couldn't get any lamer.

"I still don't see the connection between locks and darkness."

"Are you trying to tell me I'm being pointless!" the blustering swordsman hurled back.

Or maybe it could get lamer…

Phinx let out a loud yawn while the rest had chosen to turn temporarily deaf at the statement. Sure the swordsman didn't claim to be the smartest man to walk this earth, but for some instances such as this, his lack of common sense was proving to be the death of them.

Shalnark gave the samurai a baleful look of exasperation, "Did you close it then?"

"…… no."

"You should close the door when you occupy a bathroom so people don't walk in on you unexpectedly. It's called common sense."

Franklin, who had been grumbling incoherently behind Kuroro suddenly shoved their Danchou aside and cuffed Nobunaga's head with quick flick of his wrist even as he swayed dangerously on his footing. Pakunoda had been startled awake when Kuroro was suddenly sidled up against her, and her astonished gaze lifted to the enormous man who had pushed at their leader. Phinx and Shalnark had also been shocked by Franklin's movements, but only Shizuku let out a whooshing air of defeat and turned to Coltopi, "Franklin's having another one of his spells again."

"Goddamn it, Franklin, why the hell do you keep on—" the frustrated swordsman trailed off when he angled his head up to look at his friend's face. "Never mind."

Kuroro, amazed that the enormous man had actually dared to lay a finger on him, asked the clueless girl, "What spells?"

"He's still sleeping, Danchou."

The Spider head raised an amused eyebrow, and true enough, when he looked at Franklin's face, the demi-giant's eyes were still closed in deep sleep even as he had Nobunaga in a headlock. "Is he always like this?"

"Only when you wake him up in the middle of the night."

Kurapika had been struck dumb at the entire scenario, and shook his head in hopeless exasperation. First off, the situation was as ludicrous as seeing Kuroro doing a tap dance right that moment; the Spiders actually had their fair share of humor, and it was highly unnerving. Hell, even Feitan had the grace to look merely disgruntled at the commotion and was muttering under his breath about obsessive samurais and their never-ending quest for power domination by waking up the dead. The blonde nearly face-vaulted at the sadist's logic, it was nearly as warped up as Hisoka's unstable mind.

It was also one hell of a night, just a minute ago Nobunaga had been threatening to take a swing to decapitate him, but now, it looked as though a carnival had gone through the middle of it with the samurai being the clown of the show and bungled up in his juggling act. One thing for certain, the Spider members were still human, as deprivation of sufficient sleep made them as surly as grizzly bears in heat. Every single one of them sported identical traces of lack of sleep on their faces as they stood by in their sleeping gear and mutinous, silent murder was evident on their irritated faces at the disruption of their rest, even Hisoka had looked normal in the state of his sleepy half-lidded eyes as he stood by the door of his room watching the impromptu pyjama party.

"Shizuku, get Franklin back into his room and tuck him in," Kuroro murmured as he grabbed hold of Kurapika's arm and all but shoved him at the surprised Shalnark and addressed a similar order, "Take him back to his."

Satisfied that he'd sorted out the problem, Kuroro raised his eyes to look at the ticking clock hanging on the far side of the wall, "It looks like nobody's going to be sleeping well tonight."

Grunts and incoherent babbles emitted from the retreating group as they filed their way back into their respective quarters.

"Goddamn prick, he woke everyone up just for that?" Phinx grumbled loudly enough for everyone within earshot to hear as he stumbled his way back to his room.

Rubbing the top of his nose, the raven-haired man let out a relieved sigh and made his way back to his room. As he passed by the door of Kurapika's room, his eyes strayed back to the wooden obstacle and paused in his wake to stare at it for a moment. After a few moments' thoughts, he shook his head in hesitation and proceeded to walk the rest of the way back to his quarters.

Midway through his walk, he remembered the winter clothes he had purchased for the blonde earlier on. Kuroro made a mental note to persuade the stubborn Kuruta to take it whether he needed or not, after all, the size of the garments was nowhere near his own, let alone his height.

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Silence the morning after was too much to hope for, as Kurapika had obviously not been entirely spacing off during Nobunaga's decapitation escapade with the Mafia guards and was diligently proceeding to lecture the once-again raving samurai about the matter by giving him hell.

The swordsman's face was a shade of blotchy red as he sputtered out in between yet another one of the blonde's blistering tongue-lashings and was giving him living hell from the looks of it.

"And he's off and running," Feitan swore ripely when Nobunaga also started foaming at the mouth again.

Phinx muttered his concealed exasperation under his breath, "Why the hell does he always have to go mouthing off this early? It's not even close to daybreak."

A working muscle ticked beneath Feitan's jaw as the argument raged on in front of them. Shizuku, Coltopi and Bonorenofu helplessly looked on, as there was simply no opening for them to intervene with the continuing battle and most of them hadn't had the guts to do so—Nobunaga was certainly in a mood foul enough to chew everyone out and cheerfully decapitate them one by one.

And so the morning started off with Kurapika efficiently washing down everyone's short breakfast with his blistering lecture. Everyone looked so stressed out that if it wouldn't look humiliating, they'd be throwing up their breakfast right that very moment—though Feitan briefly considered barfing out his morning intake on top of the Kuruta's blonde locks.

When Kuroro heard the word 'murder' mentioned for the third time since his arrival at the reception area, he was positive Nobunaga was more than ready to blanch and consider reforming his bloodthirsty ways into enjoying to beat the living daylights out of Kurapika and turn him into a bloody pulp. Still, the Kuruta could give him a run of his money with the way he was carrying on like that, the tireless blonde seemed intent on drilling the deafening lecture into every occupant of the room as well by the pained expressions on everyone's face as he droned on. Apparently, the blonde was the only one who had a good night's rest and was on a dangerous crusade of pissing everyone off early in the morning as an appetizer.

"Good morning," the Spider head greeted in a forced tone of pleasantry in an attempt to divert the blonde's attention.

His attempt went entirely unnoticed, as Kurapika didn't even bother to acknowledge his greeting since the blonde was still too busy going on with his tirade about morals and ethics in his drill with Nobunaga. Only this time, Franklin was included in the verbal abuse as well and was taking it none too lightly. By the looks of it, the normally silent giant who advocated violence-is-not-allowed-among-members was at the brink of discarding his qualms about resolving problems with brute strength and was briefly contemplating the act of actually pounding the spewing blonde into oblivion if given the chance.

Without a change in expression, Kuroro stepped forward and covered a gentle hand over Kurapika's mouth. The blonde started jerkily, before tilting his head back to glare at him. The Spider head only placed one finger of his free hand in a gesture of silence as reply.

"Bonorefu, Shizuku, Coltopi, get going. Use the north route." Seeing no way out to escape the blonde's rapier-sharp tongue without drawing blood, Kuroro interceded gracefully, placing his head and ear at risk, to put a temporary halt to the verbal assaults—Shalnark thought it was very brave of their Danchou to actually dare put off Kurapika in the middle of his rant.

Franklin had looked vastly relieved when Kuroro mediated between the blonde's verbal hurls, as it was getting rather out of hand—he had a migraine as proof of that. The Frankenstein wannabe immediately grabbed the still sputtering Nobunaga and pulled him into a far corner of the room to put a permanent halt to the verbal exchange, though the samurai still hurled muffled oaths at the blonde despite the human barricade.

"Machi, Hisoka, you'll be taking the long route towards south."

The indigo-haired woman nodded grimly before turning on her heel, while Hisoka whistled merrily behind her as they started to leave the holding. With an irritated twitch of an eyelid and a disdainful curl on her lips, Machi had glared warning icicle daggers at her companion and without warning, immediately took off with a light-footed leap over the rickety fence.

Hisoka merely crossed his arms in front of his torso at the sudden abandonment as the remaining Spider members looked on.

"She must be afraid she'll fall for my irresistible charms," the demented jester commented loud enough for everyone within peripheral distance to hear. "Wait for me, darling," he ended with a seductive purr and sped off after her.

Shalnark and Phinx had shuddered visibly while Nobunaga snorted violently into the cup of tea Franklin had shoved earlier at him. Franklin managed to keep an impassive, straight face despite the goosebumps and the change of pallor on his skin. Kurapika's complexion had turned slightly green and his face was screwed up into a disgusted grimace, whereas Pakunoda felt the hairs at her nape bristle in uprising as she fought down the urge to vomit. Hell, even Feitan looked sickened by the jester's words, as his already-sallow complexion had turned slightly paler than usual and was rapidly turning stark white.

Kuroro's face had been completely bland and devoid of emotion during the clown's self-ego boost, though he was beginning to doubt the wisdom of his decision in putting Machi and Hisoka together without so much as a chaperone. The woman looked as though she had been sentenced to hang a while ago and was forced to swallow a mouthful of hemlock when Hisoka leered at her.

Making a mental note to discreetly apologize to the would-be traumatized woman the next time they meet, Kuroro had nodded to Phinx and Pakunoda, "Head east, then catch up with Machi and Hisoka by sundown tomorrow. Make sure she's… all right—mentally."

Nobunaga and Franklin were given the same directions as Shizuku's group, though they were given specific instructions to stay a day apart from each other.

"The road to Lufa is sturdy enough, but we all have to pass through Necrovalley in the middle of the journey before we can reach the Glacier Forest in the outskirts of the city. I wouldn't let anyone venture into that fork, but seeing as there's no other way to get to Lufa except taking that route…" Kuroro trailed off.

Nobunaga mumbled something unintelligible under his breath before nodding, "Do we pass through Necropolis as well?"

"Yes." The Spider head's silky voice sounded about as cheerfully warm as a snow blizzard striking in full force when he gave his damning answer.

Franklin had a shunted look on his face, but he carefully wiped it blank when Kuroro faced him, "I'll trust you two to make it there first. Remember to leave a nen trail behind the Peak, just to make sure the others know you've passed through there."

Nobunaga nodded grimly in silent response before jabbing a sharp elbow at his partner, "Let's get going."

If Kurapika had been confused by the turn of events, he didn't let it show on his face. Though he had been puzzled by the samurai's reaction to Kuroro's cryptic responses, the blonde refrained from voicing out his questions and carefully observed the departing duo before turning back to the Spider leader—who was now giving the final pair, apart from Kurapika and himself, orders.

"Shalnark, Feitan, you know what to do." Kuroro's voice was deadly calmm his face held the same intense look the blonde had seen before when he'd tried to goad the unpredictable man's temper—it was a dead giveaway to the seriousness of the situation, though Kurapika was dubious it was because of temper that he was sporting that pessimistic attitude now.

"Failure is not an option," Kuroro's voice dropped several degrees lower.

Shalnark and Feitan nodded in agreement, knowing failure meant jeopardizing the entire situation, and the resulting scenario would be twice as unpleasant as carrying out the task at hand. Kuroro would be after their blood and hell-bent on tearing them to pieces before they could even blink twice, regardless of his usual calm-exterior façade.

Kurapika eyed the conversing trio warily, and when Kuroro motioned for him, he slowly trudged up next to the Spider head's frame.

"Ready?"

As the blonde had already foregone his usual tribal robes and settled with his replacement wardrobe composed of a grey turtleneck and a pair of loose black jeans instead, he concluded that he was. After all, ready in the vocabulary of a Genei Ryodan member meant preparing for a journey that wasn't meant for fun unless you counted killing sprees as an everyday habit, and there was no way in hell that they could afford anyone noticing them, as there were still bounty hunters out there at large who hadn't given up looking for surviving Genei Ryodan members.

"Yes," the blonde confirmed and lightly patted the sling bag resting by his side that contained his newly acquired winter gear. After all, Kuroro had literally made it his personal mission two hours before dawn to force the Kuruta into accepting the jacket and mink hat he'd bought in the night market before, and he had seen to it with determined gusto. Until finally, after three gruelling hours of tiresome debacles, Kurapika had conceded grudgingly and stoically received the folded garment and hat from Kuroro's outstretched hand.

At the blonde's nod, Kuroro placed both hands inside the pockets of his fur-leather coat and stepped onto the porch before turning his head back slightly, "Then what are we waiting here for?" The raven-haired man had started walking on the damp earth before Kurapika had the chance to open his mouth to respond.

"For the grass to grow," Kurapika muttered sarcastically under his breath before swiftly following suit.

Feitan and Shalnark had held back choked laughter at Kurapika's mumbled reply, though the computer prodigy would never dare answer back to Kuroro like that, it was still a refreshing thing to see someone being able to do it without batting an eyelash.

"There's grass out here?" Feitan suddenly asked as he chanced a look at the grass-deprived earth then back at the barren terrain complementing it.

Shalnark gave him a disgruntled look before slapping his forehead with an open palm and muttered lowly, "The wonders of sadism… your lack of a decent sense of humor amazes me, Feitan. It goes beyond even the range of Kukulu Mountains."

_(To be continued…)_

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**Notes:** I know, bad chapter as this could be counted as a filler chapter.

(10-30-2004) Argh! The heat here is driving me crazy! I swear Buddha's testing my endurance for masochism. And well, here you go, finally, chapter five is out after having a gruelling writer's block in its making. If you wanna complain about how lousy this is, grab a mallet and start pounding at me with it. All my brain cells have been officially pulverized anyway, what's the harm of causing more damage to it?

(10-31-2004) Sorry for being so… irritatingly wordy in this installment. It's just that the angst was getting to me and I couldn't string two words of humor together when I started writing the draft out.

(11-03-2004) I'm currently addicted to Get Backers right now, after re-watching all 49 episodes in a marathon. Kazuki and Juubee romantic sappiness had been implanted inside my deceased brain. Those two have just got to be the cutest pair ever. I sure hope Kazuki-sama's presence will revive me… (stares at chibi-Kazuki button pin) Oh damn, I just love episodes 26, 27, 39 and 40—never failed to make me laugh—a guaranteed source of laughter, not to mention stress reliever. Argh, enough with the mooning, I'm going to work on Blood Pact now. (cracks knuckles)

(11-04-2004) Finally, the perfect atmosphere to write fics in: no sweltering sun and rain in sight, just the cool breeze of refreshing November air. Now this is what I call good weather, that way, I won't get too cranky due to heat. The heck with this, I'm somewhere near the third-quarter of this fic anyway.

(11-08-2004) I've got something up my sleeve, and I'm finished doing an illustrated sketch of them already. However, they won't be appearing anytime soon. (grin) Appearances will be made in succeeding chapters. It's been such a long time since I've held a pencil and sketched with it, let's not mention the period of time I haven't touched my poster and watercolors, so you'll have to bear with my half-hearted attempts to make it look decent. The heck, you won't be seeing it now anyway… oh shit, I'm babbling… this is enough. Don't sue me.

(11-12-2004) Oh my shit… it's 4am here and I'm still turning my brains inside out writing out the entire scenario. One of these days, I'm going to get that blasted notebook and burn it, damn useless stuff… I end up revising everything I've ever written on it anyway. It's driving me up a wall, and I'm definitely going to become one more likely candidate confined to the mental ward by the time I finish this darn chapter.

(11-13-2004) I believe I've just had experienced the most traumatic day of my life… the details I won't bother to disclose, I'm still having living nightmares about it…

(11-15-2004) It's finally done! Whew! It's a few pages shorter than what I had originally planned, but this is the finished product. After re-editing over and over again… it's finally done! And now on to the next chapter… I'm gonna die all over again.

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**Responses to reviews:**

**Teishya**-san, **Vanice**-san, **C**-san, **the cat1**-san, **anime-earth**-san, and** Bleeding Heart12**–san, I want to thank you all very much for reviewing. I do want everyone to know that I read each and every one of your reviews whether it's compliments or critiques, because your opinions are highly appreciated as I work on this fic, you could perhaps say that I see it as an inspiration to continue with my piece.

**mistressKC**-san, thank you very much for keeping up with me and I really, really appreciate your reviews on my updates! Sankyuu so much for taking the time and the trouble of writing out your comments!

**Klappy**-san, it was an honor reviewing your fanfic, and I'd like to thank you for supporting my work as well. Your enthusiasm for reading and writing fanfiction is contagious. I do believe I haven't been this active in dealing out comments and criticisms in such a long time, and your emails certainly got my brain gears kicking back into action. Isshou ni gambaru ne! Soshite, gomen ne, this chapter isn't really focused much on romance, but the next chapter will be slightly tinted with sappiness.

Also, **kuroro12**-san, I'm glad you understand my explanations to your comments, and as much as I'd like to get it on with the romance part, it still won't do to rush it. Kuroro and Kurapika are highly sentimental individuals, in my opinion, and the depth of their relationship will most likely depend on the bond of their friendship and understanding of each other as well—which is what I'm trying to work out before I plot out the romantic interludes.

Thank you very much for the encouragement and the compliment, **sodachan**-san. I'm so glad you find my work to be read-worthy, while I think so otherwise of it. ; I do believe you're the first to 'side' (my brain's not functioning, can't think of a proper term for it) with me on the similarity issue with lynlyn-san's masterpiece. Well, at least people aren't yet condemning me for it. Kuroro and Kurapika are such hardheads that it would literally take something short of a miracle to fix the… umm… antagonism between the two (that doesn't sound much of a suitable term either). Hontou ni arigatou gozaimasu! I'm really thankful that you understand my dilly-dallying with the romance part as well… and my sentiments exactly. Kuroro and Kurapika are probably the hardest couple to try to build a relationship with, considering that Kurapika hates his guts and Kuroro isn't exactly the type who'll actually try to force himself on somebody who apparently loathes his very existence. Your review is humbly received and greatly appreciated! Sankyuu!

To all reviewers, doumo arigatou gozaimashita. Yoroshiku ne! (/)/ \(\) (/)/ \(\) Cheers!

To all those who are working on their own fics, gambatte kudasai ne!


	6. Secret Sorrow

(does a 360-degree spin) I have finally updated! And now I'm probably on everybody's hit list… --; Sorry… for being such a tardy author, I can't seem to meet even my own deadlines. I've also got a mouthful of end notes, so I'd really appreciate it if you guys could read it… let's just say, if you don't read it, don't blame me for a few lapses in the near future. But anyways, enough with this, you'll get another dose of my untimely rants at the end anyway. So on with thy fic!

Oh yeah, please… review! . So many hits and yet so little comments… C'mon, I'm having a major mental lag and frankly speaking… I'm running out of ideas. Between work and all, it's a miracle I actually managed to squeeze something out of nothing for this chapter.

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**Title: _Blood Pact_**

**Author:** Blitz Magnus

**Chapter:** 6?

**Status:** completed

**Pairings:** future Kuroro x Kurapika

**Genre:** Humor/Romance + a bit of Drama/Adventure

**Warnings:** This fic contains shounen-ai (male x male relationship). So if you don't and can't stomach this kind of genre, don't read. Characters are major OOC. This is a product of boredom, an endless spiral of empty space, and a lame attempt at making fiction. You have been forewarned, so no flames regarding these matters.

This is also Kuroro and Kurapika centered chapter, so… it'll be a tad bit short on the humor and delving more into serious matters. But no sweat, I'll find a way to wedge in a pinch of humor in their… uhh… tense and uptight atmosphere. (dodges Kurapika-sama's _nen_ chains)

**Rating: **PG-13 (T)

**Disclaimer:** _Hunter x Hunter_© original story and characters belong not to me, but to the legendary Yoshihiro Togashi.

**Author's Notes:** The timeline is set at the end of the OVA, right after Kuroro's capture by Kurapika, and picks up in between the OVA and the Greed Island arc. The events of the story take place after the negotiations between Pakunoda and Kurapika are over, as well as the exchange of hostages. Changes made in the actual series for the purpose of writing this fic are as follows: 1.) Kurapika was not able to seal Kuroro's nen during Kuroro's confinement, 2.) Kurapika did not take off his disguise as a female hotel receptionist during the entire confrontation between him and the Danchou, 3.) Pakunoda never revealed Kurapika's weakness to the spiders (meaning she didn't die), 4.) Hisoka has yet to uncover his betrayal to the Genei Ryodan (meaning he didn't show up during the hostage exchange).

**Summary:** With Gon and Killua safely back into the fold and out of harm's way after negotiations with the Genei Ryodan were concluded, Kuroro Lucifer makes his move on the unsuspecting Kurapika and roped him into becoming a part of them, indirectly, on the aftermath of their encounter. Kurapika, in turn, manages to learn more about the Kuruta Red-Eyes in his stay with the Genei Ryodan and he's less than happy with the results as he got more than what he'd bargained for. Never did he dream that he'd turn into one of them, and things get more complicated when he realized he'd fallen for the enemy.

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Chapter Six: Secret Sorrow 

If either Killua or Gon had asked him whether or not he'd gone ballistic when he'd actually agreed to willingly enter the fray by fraternizing with the Spiders, he was dead certain he would've answered a vehement 'no'. After all, what was the sense of hunting for his prey when he couldn't even manage to keep an eye on them? Now that he'd been given this opportunity, he sure as hell wasn't going to let it pass by him.

But as of the moment, Kurapika was certain he had lost his mind, sanity and all, down the drain as he stared open-mouthed at the gigantic personification of a crossbreed between a gorging hulk of a wannabe mushroom and the bullfrog mutation his companion held out at him.

One day into their journey together, the Kuruta was already seriously considering jumping off the nearest cliff and breaking his neck just to end this endless torture, binding _nen_ contract can go to hell for all he cared and all thoughts of revenge be damned to perdition.

Dazed, his mind took him back into what transpired before he ended up in the mess he was currently stuck waist-deep in.

Thirty minutes into travel during the first day and Kuroro had led them directly into a murky swamp literally infested with bee-slugs the size of a bulky ten-year-old child. The disgusting insects looked so revolting that Kurapika had to avert his gaze into a less disgusting scene—green spiders with abdomens the size of a dodge ball. The sight of the alien-looking arachnids looked so pathetic that his automated aversion towards spiders seemed to have gone into a temporary drawback at the hapless sight—though his stomach protested violently at the scenario that he had to resist the urge to throw up like a woman during the first few stages of her pregnancy. The sad-looking vines and trees were virtually covered in moss and poison ivy as thick as an armadillo's hide. The blonde looked at the filthy swamp in horror and whipped his face back to turn the full blast of his blazing eyes to his raven-haired companion.

"You have got to be joking." It took a tremendous amount of self-control for Kurapika to address the statement in a deadpanned manner as he kept his eyes glued to the slime-covered arachnids prattling along the branches of the trees.

The head of the infamous Genei Ryodan gave him a blank stare and shrugged, facial expression carefully schooled into a pokerfaced mask—though he'd been internally surprised at the stricken look on Kurapika's face as the blonde took into inventory his current surrounding. Good heavens, the blonde looked about ready to cut his guts open and cast him slowly over a pit of hot coals while he turned cartwheels.

"You're serious about this! We're going in there!" the blonde's horrified voice rose a notch higher than usual as he couldn't manage to tear his eyes away from the loathsome scenery. His active imagination worked out scenes of trudging through the germ-infested swamp, and that were all that occupied his current state of mind.

Kuroro smirked knowingly behind the appalled blonde. So, the touchy Kuruta did have one more Achilles' heel. He was dreadfully scared out of his wits when encountering substances involving the concept of dirt and anything else that went against the natural phenomena of impeccable personal hygiene.

Kurapika slowly turned to look at his companion, and upon seeing the sober look on his face, the blonde sucked in his breath before gawking openly at the bubbling moss-covered surface of the murky, filthy excuse for a body of water with a vein ticking viciously at his forehead, "You really aren't joking, are you?"

"I'm afraid so. So, shall we proceed?"

"When hell freezes over, asshole." The blonde braced his legs steadily on solid ground, a determined scowl plastered on his face while he kept chanting a mental mantra that nothing his raven-haired companion could and would say would be able to make him budge from that spot.

"Don't be stubborn, we have to get past this marsh to trek into the woods."

The look on Kurapika's face was enough to tell the exasperated Spider leader that the only way he was going to be able to get the blonde to budge from his determined position was by sole exertion of physical force. And from the looks of it, it was going to be no simple job either.

Letting out a defeated sigh, Kuroro stealthily snaked a steady arm around the unsuspecting Kuruta's waist and firmly held the petite frame against his own body.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" Kurapika spluttered out as he tried to jerk himself out of the death grip Kuroro had held him in.

But even before the blonde could start spewing out his usual contempt through a recently acquired colourful vocabulary, the raven-haired man had already further tightened his grip on Kurapika's waist and plunged down—feet first—into the deep ravine right beside the moss-covered swamp.

The sound of breaking twigs and branches drowned out the rest of the razor-sharp curses and obscenities hurled at him by the struggling and obviously pissed-off blonde as they picked up speed on their fall.

The fall seemed to last forever to Kurapika, as endless seas of green overwhelmed his senses as they fell headlong into the swirling vortex of woodland oblivion. The blonde gritted his teeth as, finally, they fell forward into a bushy nest of dried leaves heaped right below the pit cushioning their fall.

"What the hell were you trying to pull back there! Are you trying to get us both killed!" Kurapika managed to sputter out as he disentangled himself from Kuroro's clutches and tried to stand upright, making his human cushion grunt in acute discomfort when he accidentally wedged an elbow into the raven-haired man's abused ribs.

Performing a spectacular nosedive into one murky swamp-filled ravine infested with the filthiest and foul-reeking creatures he'd ever seen in his entire lifetime was definitely not on his to-do list, and Kurapika was more than ready to lash out his fury at the culprit who'd literally coerced him into doing exactly that.

The Spider head had fortunately managed to land squarely on the leaf pile on his back, butt first. However, he also caught the brunt of the fall since he had maneuvered their positions during their freefall so that Kurapika would land atop him—at the risk of breaking his own backside and neck, apparently.

Slowly and deliberately, he eased himself up from his prone position to sit up and stare blearily at his fuming partner.

A string of curses was already threatening to roll off the tip of Kurapika's tongue, his suicidal companion was definitely _not_ going to get off free. The man did, after all, manage to scare a decade off his lifespan when they'd literally taken the dive into an endless pit of leafy oblivion. The blonde was on the verge of giving the worst verbal lashing of the lifetime when he finally noticed Kuroro's awkward position. Normally, the man ought to be standing on his own two feet and most probably dragging him by the heels by now if necessary just to get him to move. So why the hell was the jerk still sprawled out on the damp ground?

Blessedly, the blonde suddenly quietened when he noticed the position Kuroro was in and had finally realized that the raven-haired man had gallantly used his own body to shield him from the impact of their fall.

Still slightly winded from the fall, Kuroro caught the troubled look on the Kuruta's face as he slowly regained his strength to stand on his own wobbling feet, "Are you alright?"

Kurapika's brows furrowed, "Yes, I'm fine." Catching the raven-haired man's sudden discomfort, his eyes zeroed in on the tear at the knee of Kuroro's leather pants, "You're wounded."

"So it would seem," the wretched man had actually sounded more amused than irritated at the discovery that blood was indeed running down the gaping gash on his kneecap. "It's a good thing those leaves broke our fall, or else I would've broken my neck as well."

"You could've easily landed on your feet," Kurapika quietly pointed out, hating the guilt that was riding on his conscience and eating at it.

"And you would've broken your neck on those boulders if I did so." Kuroro gestured towards the intimidating pile of rocks and rubble behind the blonde. Harmless as the rocks looked, the jagged edges jutting out in between the spaces were definitely not to be taken lightly.

"If you hadn't caught me by surprise, I wouldn't have. I'm not accustomed to people snagging me up by the waist just for the sake of committing mock suicide," replied Kurapika testily as Kuroro stated the obvious.

"If I hadn't caught you by surprise, we could never have gone this far."

True enough, it had been a long drop, as Kurapika craned his head up to look for the top of the grassy cliff they'd fallen from. It was barely seen from the distance he was standing from. In layman's terms, it was a far cry from having fun since it involved risking their own bloody necks to get past that nauseating height.

Though the blonde was tempted to deny the raven-haired man's observation of his earlier predicament heatedly, he chose to painfully swallow his sarcastic retorts and instead grabbed the startled Kuroro by the arm and shoved him gently but firmly towards a nearby loose boulder, "Sit down on that rock and stay put."

More surprised than confused, the Spider head went along with Kurapika's curt command and obediently sat down on the makeshift stool.

Seconds later, he realized that Kurapika's _nen_ chains had materialized and the Holy Chain was hovering right above his wounded knee.

"Stay still." The blonde spoke without bothering to look at him and concentrated on healing the flesh wound with his healing chain. The cut of the wound wasn't actually deep, but it was enough to cause a rather serious case of external hemorrhage.

"Well, look at the bright side. We've gotten past the first obstacle."

The fulminating look of indignation on the blonde's scowling face was enough to make a sensible man shut up, and Kuroro was no fool to ignore the warning. Sensing the situation to be similar to an uncomfortable feeling of being properly chastised by a displeased schoolmarm, the raven-haired patient opted to silently watch the healing process of his kneecap and observe the emotions wash over his companion's troubled face.

Kuroro was startled out of his trance when he felt the insistent nudge on his shoulder, in automation, his eyes lifted to Kurapika's confused ones in question.

"You spaced out."

Covering up his sudden slip, the Spider head pulled himself to his feet and gestured towards a nearby shade of trees, "We'd better get going, you wouldn't want to be in this part of the boundary once nightfall comes."

The blonde nodded silently, though he still kept a watchful eye on his companion's injury as he trudged behind the latter.

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Half an hour later, Kurapika was no longer feeling guilty about the ruptured knee, nor was he feeling the least bit sympathetic or concerned about the scrapes and bruises suffered by his companion during their earlier fall, as he was currently in the miserable situation of being covered in an inch thick coating of combined grime, sweat, lichen and God-knows-what-else concoction of nature's excess.

Hell, and he actually thought nothing would feel much worse than having Leorio as lunch companion while he literally barfed and inhaled his food as though it were a life support system—never mind the fact that having a leering Hisoka stare at you for a whole minute also scared the shit out of anyone.

An eerie sensation buzzed behind his left ear, and as his skin prickled, he warily averted his eyes from the object of his current murderous thoughts and focused on the annoying culprit. As it turned out, a bulging insect the size of a grown man's fist had unknowingly perched on his shoulder, making the already fuming Kuruta turn the full blast of his ire at the offensive insect as he whipped out his dowsing chain in full swing.

Goosebumps covered his already moss-covered skin as he devised several painful ways of torturing and murdering his unsuspecting fiend of a companion, preferably by using the same kind of filth he was currently covered in, that would definitely serve as an appropriate form of revenge.

Ten minutes ago, they'd been brutally ambushed by a colony of the largest bees he'd ever seen in his entire life—they managed to get out alive, but not after being viciously stung in the neck repeatedly.

No more than two minutes later, an entire herd of grease-covered weasel-hogs—of which its fumes alone could kill anyone who dared to breathe—trampled past them, kicking up a cyclone of sticky _and_ stinky dust.

And just what the hell did that infernal Kuroro Lucifer do? He'd actually used him as a human shield to ward off the poisonous fumes of the hogs. When the approaching rumble of the stampeding pigs reached their ears, the Spider leader had switched positions with him immediately. The nerve of the man!

Which was also the reason why his once clean face was now covered in a sticky sheet of combined grease and whatever else he'd managed to pick up from their travel.

While the fuming blonde trudged behind him, Kuroro kept unusually silent throughout their travel, though he did turn to check on his partner once in a while, but otherwise, he carefully kept his own thoughts to himself. So engrossed he was in his own inner musings that he missed the startled look aimed at him by his irritated companion.

"Stop."

The Spider leader's train of thoughts halted the same time he stilled his descent on the murky terrain of moss-composed swamps as he turned his head to address a reply to the sudden command.

"What is it?"

"Can't you smell it?" Kurapika asked tersely. The blonde's entire body arched and tensed up like a stringed bow as he slowly crouched into a battle position.

"Smell what, ourselves?" Kuroro countered even as his gaze immediately redirected into examining his surroundings thoroughly—considering the fact that they both stank like a couple of greasy pigs tumbling in mud.

At the very same instant, the Kuruta's eyes shifted from a wary shade of cloudy sea green to a turbulent shade of hardened ice blue sapphires as they darted back and forth from the cluster of trees encompassing them. From the Spider head's distance, he could already make out shadows forming behind him from the reflection in those ice shards.

On a heightened level of adrenaline coursing through his veins, he immediately leapt out of the way even as a maul the size of Franklin's hefty biceps cut across the trees behind him. Kuroro landed gracefully behind the battle-poised form of the blonde and held out his left arm in a horizontal axis, palm face-up in preparation to summon his Book of Skills.

"Don't bother."

The Genei Ryodan leader's startled gaze shifted from his unseen enemy to Kurapika, and was forced to discreetly take a step back when his eyes landed on the blonde's face. It was enough to turn blood into frozen ice within the blink of an eye.

If Kuroro had been asked whether he'd ever seen an angel of death about ten seconds ago, he would've answered an immediate negative reply to the question, but if he were asked right now, he wasn't even sure if his throat would work up the strength to utter a proper response.

The look on Kurapika's otherwise calm features was enough to make his blood run cold, even under the layer of smudge and dirt, his angelic features spelled death over and over again as those ice cold eyes never wavered from their cautious observation of the moving shadows.

"Don't move," was the only explanation the blonde provided as he slapped a gentle but firm hand on Kuroro's chest before disappearing right in front of the shocked man in a blur, _nen_ chains materializing in his wake as its tinkling sounds trailed behind its owner's swift movements.

Seconds later, agonized sounds of mercy and agony could be heard from behind the thick mass of gnarled trees. The muffled rustle of fallen leaves and twigs echoed softly from the inner depths of the woods, and as groans and shrieks drowned out any other sound, Kuroro could only stare in stupefied amazement as cloaked bodies literally flew from behind the bushes and landed smartly in simultaneous thuds in front of him.

The death toll rose to an alarming amount of ten from his last count amidst the narrow space they were currently trapped in, as Kuroro only caught glimpses of the criss-crossing pattern of glints of metal grinding against metal from his frozen position in the willowy shade he was standing in.

The shadowed frame of his Kuruta companion suddenly emerged from the trees and swiftly moved forward from the shelter of the dark tresses.

The Spider leader's eyes narrowed fractionally when he saw the smudge of freshly spilt blood on the blonde's left boot and the continuous drip of the coppery red liquid from the Kuruta's fingertips. He frowned in reflex, even as Kurapika steadily moved towards him despite the amount of blood that was shed at his expense.

"I thought you were against, and I quote, the 'brutal slaughter' of human beings," Kuroro's aloof voice withered against the cold breeze of the frigid wind slapping behind him as he confronted his companion.

Kurapika stood unmoving in front of him, head slightly bowed with his long bangs shielding the dark features on his face. And when the blonde tilted his face up to stare at him, the fearless leader of the Spiders sucked in a harsh breath.

"They aren't human," Kurapika started in a low tone, "At least, not anymore."

"Is there something you know that I don't?" It was frustrating to him, Kuroro Lucifer, a harbinger of death and the infamous leader of the Spiders, to ask that degrading question, as he had always prided himself to know anything mysterious happening in their world.

The Kuruta gave him a cold but blank stare, before dropping his tensed stance and bent down on one knee by the grass-covered glade, "This place used to be the hunting ground for a certain Rukuso tribe."

"Rukuso? You mean your tribe's territory?" Kuroro felt the hair at his nape start to prickle sharply, as though in response to exercise caution in anticipated danger. The area they were standing in was dangerous ground, and the topic was an ultra-sensitive one as well. Though to tread on unfamiliar waters seemed like a bad idea right now, it was still inevitable as he forced his throat to drum up the energy to talk.

"The Kuruta tribe wasn't the only one occupying that region. There are other tribes roaming that land, those that are far more shrouded… that lurk in the darkness. More precisely, those who feed on the darkness."

Kuroro frowned visibly now as he dropped down to sit on a rock so that he would be eye-level with the blonde, "Elaborate."

"Don't tell me you didn't feel their presence when you—" Kurapika started sharply as he battled against another surge of bloodlust that was threatening to overwhelm his heightened senses.

"I did," Kuroro cut in abruptly to evade further provocation, "But we dismissed it as ancient spirits lurking in the area."

Surprisingly, the blonde was in no mood to argue as well. He just looked tired and wary as he explained, "In a way, they are, but the reason why they hide in the shadows is because it is the only way for them to survive."

"That's not much of an explanation. And you are being evasive."

Kurapika's gaze levelled with Kuroro's intense ones as he reluctantly continued, "They are creatures of the Shadow Legion, those who thrive in the shadows, the pain and sorrows of others, and most of all, in death. This vicinity," he gestured towards the massive trees, "became their hunting grounds when they ran out of prospective victims."

His clouded blue-green eyes kept steady watch over the denser part of the clearing, "This part of the forest is also known as the Cloaked Path. Not many people venture out to the Rukuso region, that's why the Legion had to look for other grounds to feed from." Kurapika added in explanation.

"Why choose an area this far from Rukuso?"

The Kuruta's voice dropped several decibels lower, "They don't travel the normal way. They can manage to travel anywhere they want to just by trailing the smell of death."

"And?"

"They don't technically 'kill' their hosts, but rather, they feed on them until they become shells of their former existence. The victims turn into one of them, devoid of any human emotion until they become thoroughly consumed by despair and darkness. Those 'shadows' we encountered a while ago, are no longer human, but are already completely swallowed up by darkness. You can even call them an embodiment of darkness."

"So you killed it?"

At that analogy, Kurapika once again bowed his head and hid his eyes behind the shelter of his hair, "To kill them is to set them free. They are hollow, empty shells of a former life, turned into the most horrid creatures to walk this land because they no longer have their own free will and have succumbed to the pits of darkness; they exist solely to appease their desire to spread darkness. The only way to free them from the confinement of the shadows is to end their 'lives'."

"Euthanasia…?" the raven-haired Spider leader murmured thoughtfully in contemplation.

The blonde shook his head, "There is no mercy in the act, for only in death will they be able to become free again."

"You do not pity them then?"

"They are not worthy of anyone's pity anymore." Though it was delivered in a hollow voice, the underlying traces of resentment and bitterness could still be seen on the blonde's face.

Kuroro said nothing in reply.

"It would be best not to encounter more of them, so we'd better get going." Kurapika started as he stood up from his kneeling position and had already started to weave through the mass of trees when his companion spoke behind him.

"You didn't have to come to rescue back there, you know. It's not that I'm being ungrateful, but I'm fully capable of protecting myself."

"You don't stand a chance against them."

Kuroro's eyes narrowed into slits, "What do you mean?"

"The scent of death lingers on the very ground you tread upon, and your hands are soiled by the same stench. You're like honeysuckle left out in the open to hungry grizzly bears."

"I'm afraid I don't understand what you're trying to imply," the Spider leader muttered out irritably. It was one thing to speak in riddles, but it was another to ridicule a Spider's capabilities in combat, especially _his_.

"The scent of death drives them into a frenzy," Kurapika elaborated, "You've killed so many lives, that the essence of death lingers in your aura… hovering around you no matter where you go. You draw their attention like blood attracting a pool of sharks."

"And yet the Kuruta, being warriors who shed blood in battle, managed to survive amongst them, why is that?"

The Kuruta survivor froze in mid-step, and underneath the concealment of his shadowed face, his eyes burned bright crimson as he replied in a near-whisper so low that if the wind were to blow, it would remain unheard, "Because they can never lay harm upon us. The Kuruta are deviants of the Legion."

And yet, with a keen sense of sharpened hearing, Kuroro managed to hear the muffled reply. "Deviants?"

After the briefest of seconds, Kurapika graced his companion with a precise, albeit reluctant, reply, "Our ancestor was one of them, but he defected from the Legion because his darkness formed him a will of his own. In other words, the Kuruta's forefather came from that stem of the Legion, and we are a 'diluted' form of the Legion itself—which is why we cannot be affected by the Legion's thirst for darkness, no matter how strong it becomes—because whenever it gains a new power, we also acquire it."

"From the legion of endless darkness sprung forth another's will… interesting," Kuroro murmured thoughtfully once again.

The speculation was too ridiculous to bother trying to decipher it, or so the blonde thought, and he didn't have the stamina to make any attempt at it.

"Our ancestor never questioned his descent, therefore he acknowledged that death would always accompany him. And so in honor of his ancestry, he made a pact in blood—that the eyes of the Kuruta descendants would forever burn crimson whenever they feel strong emotions—a symbol that the color of blood will always go hand in hand with death, and should they die, that vivid color would burn brighter than ever."

The Spider leader's face was a mask of blank astonishment, "Then the Scarlet Eyes are—"

An irritated scowl marred Kurapika's otherwise ethereal features as he bit out scathingly, "If you think they are freak accidents caused by defective genes, you've gone mental."

At the Kuruta's sudden burst of anger, Kuroro managed a smirk as he continued his unfinished statement, "As I was about to say before you interrupted, I thought the Scarlet Eyes were either gifts of nature or an indication of a higher attainment of power."

Feeling a bit abashed by the reprimand but not completely put-off, Kurapika snapped, "Well, they're not, so get your mind off the gutter and back into track."

A delicate eyebrow rose in response, though he didn't comment on the 'gutter' part of the blonde's statement. "But that short bit of history explains a lot about your heritage… as well as your _nen _capabilities."

This time, it was Kurapika who cocked his head in confusion as he tried to decipher Kuroro's spontaneous musings that came seem to just pop out of nowhere in existence, "My capabilities?"

"You did say you can acquire a higher level of power whenever the 'Legion' becomes stronger."

"What are you trying to say?" the blonde bit out angrily. Obviously, the topic about the Legion involved dredging up the Kuruta tribe again, and it was, to say in the least, not high on Kuroro's priority list either, as it nearly came as close as getting his head lopped off the last time one of the other Spiders managed to do.

But some things just cannot be dismissed that easily, and Kuroro was damn sure he was halfway to tightening an invisible noose around his neck when he prodded on, "That the stronger the Legion becomes, the stronger your _nen_ abilities become, especially now that you're the only survivor left."

Kurapika clenched his jaw in a spur of the moment as his fist curled into a tight ball, before relaxing both body parts again and shrugged, "I guess. We'd better leave, there would be more of them coming."

"And I, being one of those who annihilated their descendants, will suffer the consequences."

The cryptic conclusion was delivered in a frigid tone of voice, and Kurapika stiffened in response even as he tried to fight down the sudden urge to turn tail and flee from the darkening aura of the area.

But innate pride kept him from succumbing to that temptation, "The Kuruta had long ago severed its ties with the Legion when the elders discovered our hideous lineage, but should the Legion choose to ignore the separation and still honour the former pact… then yes, you will suffer the consequences. You and the rest of the Spiders."

Kuroro's eyes gleamed, "Death against darkness, it would be a challenging match."

"Never underestimate the Legion. It would be the gravest mistake of your life."

"Just like I should never underestimate you either. You are, after all, a descendant," Kuroro added soberly.

"And from the darkness, light was born." The enigmatic statement caught the blonde by surprise, but he didn't try to fathom it out anymore, as he was already mentally exhausted.

"Enough. We should leave. Now." Kurapika bit out harshly as gripped the strap of his carrying bag tightly and started to take the first step into leaving the ominous vicinity.

"Just one more question. You seem to know the place well, how come you acted as though you bore no recognition of the area throughout our journey?"

_Out of the frying pan and into the fire_. Apparently, he'd already given away too much. Kurapika gave another indifferent shrug, hoping it would be enough to deceive the Spider head's probing, "No reason."

He was dead wrong about the perceptiveness of the blasted man. For when the Kuruta had started to walk past the raven-haired Spider leader, the latter grabbed hold of his arm in a vicelike grip. "Don't be evasive, if there's one thing I don't like, it's pretenses." The statement was uttered ominously despite the total lack of anger in Kuroro's cool voice.

"Why do you think I didn't want to enter this filth-infested sty in the first place? And don't start spouting sporadic words of outrage just because you've been duped. In case you've conveniently forgotten, you're a master at the art of masquerading." Kurapika shot back harshly as he jerked his arm away, his face pale with unleashed anger while his eyebrows knotted together into a vicious frown as he stalked past the stunned Kuroro.

"Just what the hell do you mean by that?"

"Neon Nostrad," came the short but steely reply. And it was enough to send Kuroro's whirling mind into yet another vortex of exasperation. The blonde obviously had a memory as strong as a herd of stampeding elephants.

Damn if that wasn't called a brush-off, the Spider head scowled darkly at Kurapika's back after the blonde had evidently finished ripping at his pride _and_ ego. For the first time in his entire life, he didn't know what the hell to do with such impertinence, which is also why he'd even allowed a perfectly visible scowl to grace his features as he moved to catch up with the blonde.

Why is it that he'd just have to meet his match in a spunky, vengeance-fuelled Kuruta who couldn't care less if he were the spawn of the devil or even the devil incarnate himself so as long as he can spit at him in the eye and carve him from inside out? It was more frustrating to know, that he'd have an easier time chewing nails than getting a willing, sensible answer from the bull-headed blonde.

Damn if Lady Luck wasn't actually grinning from ear-to-ear for giving him such a hard time with his 'charge'.

Kurapika, though sensing his companion's presence beside him, didn't bother to turn his head but instead addressed a stiff and abrupt statement, "If we can make it to the clearing before the sun sets, we can set up camp near the stream and replenish our supply."

"Fine." Kuroro was waist-deep in his own version of sulking to bother rebuking the Kuruta's words.

The blonde very nearly raised an eyebrow in surprise, was the formidable leader of the Genei Ryodan actually allowing himself the privilege of showing a foreign side to his concealed humanity?

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It was just one of those unlucky days that just clobbered you up from behind without warning, and it was also the reason why he was currently stuck waist-deep in a pile of muck holding a cross-mutation between a mushroom and bullfrog.

Back to things at hand… the blonde tilted his head as high as he could manage as he stared mournfully while silently seething at his companion. The Spider head was balancing atop a sturdy branch of a gnarled grandfather celburn1 tree and was trying to catch the vile-looking creatures.

"Are you trying to tell me we are going to _eat_ that?"

Kuroro nodded as he held out the lump of abomination bound up in a thick cord of braided tree bark and gestured for the blonde to take it from him. Composure be damned as he stocked up on all pleasurable thoughts of gleefully skinning Kuroro down to the very last bone even as his gaze zeroed in on the bullfrog-mushroom mutation.

How in tarnation was he going to be able to digest the hideous thing let alone putting it inside his mouth when he couldn't even bear looking at it?

While he mulled over the satisfaction of seeing Kuroro slowly roasting over an open fire pit, he sulkily swiped at the disgusting organism and held it at arm's length before wrinkling his nose in open revulsion. Good lord, nearly everything in the jungle—him and Kuroro included—could use a week's worth of bath, and that wasn't exactly an exaggeration.

"Is this the part where you get to pull off the waterworks?" his companion suddenly asked amusedly from above him, making the already pissed-off Kuruta bristle at the taunt.

The blonde glared up at him, which wasn't exactly the least bit intimidating, considering that he was a good twelve feet below Kuroro holding a mushroom-bullfrog mutation in one hand while standing knee-high in the middle of a pool of bubbling mud.

"Not even in your dreams, you sadistic bastard."

Kurapika glared at the blob of mutated specie in disdain as he held it as far away as he could from himself.

The Genei Ryodan leader smirked knowingly as he enjoyed the view from his position, the simple thought of petty revenge was too sweet to resist. Hours ago, his ego had been torn into shreds by the scalding, razor-sharp tongue of the blonde, and so he felt he was entitled to hold the childish notion of indulging himself into holding a grudge. Kurapika had evidently succeeded in ripping apart the intactness of his ego and he was itching to get back at the wily blonde. And the satisfaction of seeing the red-faced Kuruta wading in a pool of nature's waste experiments was definitely worth his temporary loss of pride.

"Once you're done daydreaming, you can start gathering the timber."

The raven-haired man's scowl moved back in place as he shook out of his reverie even before Kurapika had managed to finish delivering the last remnants of his speech. Nobody ordered him around, not even the demented Hisoka had the guts to do so.

"Now wait just a damn minute here—" he started before checking his use of words.

Kurapika's cheerfully deceptive voice dripped with barely concealed sarcasm coated in honey, "I'm the one making dinner, aren't I?"

"…"

"Break a leg." And with that, the blonde pulled himself out of the mud and slime concoction he was immersed in and sauntered off into the nearby stream.

The Spider leader could only glare at the blonde's retreating back as he stood immobile above the leafy branches of the sturdy tree he was positioned in.

"One more thing, you could also use a bath. A _long_ one."

As if to rub it in his face, a firemoth2 started buzzing around him—which caused another darkening of the aura surrounding him. The poor insect didn't stand a chance, as it ungracefully did a spiral nosedive into the pool of mud Kurapika had recently abandoned.

An eyelid twitched visibly on Kuroro's face as he glared at the empty space under him while he fought the sudden urge to bang his head on the bark of the tree he was currently clinging on.

So much for getting back at him, the blonde was definitely a stubby thorn to any revenge-seeker's backside.

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Kuroro had decided he wouldn't hold a grudge anymore, but it was easier said than done.

Good heavens, the blonde was grating on his nerves. Nearly a month in his stay with them at the warehouse, he'd already managed to get everyone's backs up, get under Nobunaga's skin so thoroughly that were any insane being cross the path between them, they'd be signing their own death contracts. Half a day into travel with him, Kurapika had already managed to break down nearly every colossal wall Kuroro had barricaded up around his heart, and as of now, he wasn't even sure if he wanted to do anything about it at all.

The both of them had indulged into a well-deserved scrubbing for the past hour by the nearby stream, and though they weren't exactly model material upon drying up, they looked a whole lot better than being covered in a thick coating of dried mud and grime while they traipsed across the rough woods.

The two had worked in companionable silence after their lengthy bath, with Kurapika prodding the starting embers of the fire as he finished buttoning up the sleeve of his forest green turtleneck while Kuroro shrugged on a clean pair of black denim trousers.

One good thing about the abilities he had managed to 'learn' was that one of them allowed him to store a truckload of spare clothing during long journeys travelled by foot—courtesy of one weak, but conveniently handy Injuu.

By the time the raven-haired Spider head had finished tugging down a clean, snowy-white shirt over his torso, his blonde companion had already started skinning their so-called dinner near the bonfire he'd started and was halfway done gutting out the poor creature's intestines.

And somehow, the ever-resourceful Kurapika had decided to make the best out of the provisions Kuroro had courteously provided for him. Though it wasn't much of a pretty sight, it looked a hell of a lot better than Coltopi's haphazard mop of tangled hair.

"I imagine that would be our dinner," he asked, deadpanned, as he stared at the unappetizing meal distastefully.

The blonde only gave him a shrug and continued stirring the yellow-brown concoction he'd managed to whip up with the less-than-edible ingredients he'd been entrusted with. He still hadn't gotten over the fact that the Spider leader managed to wheedle out that much information about the Kuruta tribe out of him when he practically swore he'd snuff out the very life out of the accursed man if he'd even dared to breathe one single word about his tribe again.

Kuroro's train of thought wasn't exactly pleasant either, but it was a hell of a lot more optimistic than his companion's, as his wasn't exactly harbouring the possibility of knocking the living daylights out of anyone in particular—although he was contemplating throttling his mule-headed companion into oblivion just for the heck of it. Out of a corner of his eye, he's suffered through the ordeal of carrying on an entire monologue only without so much as to receive an ambiguous grunt in response. So, he'd decided to use the silent treatment on him. Fine, he could deal with that, as he'd dealt out a few rounds of those himself.

Kuroro, sensing the blonde's telltale irritation, decided to keep silent for the moment. After all, he wasn't an idiot who invited a tongue-lashing just for the heck of it. And besides, the aroma of the simmering pot of last-minute-thrown-together stew didn't smell that bad, only if you ignored the fact that it looked more like horse manure mixed with a hefty helping of the remnants of a pigsty than a full-course meal.

"Dig in," Kurapika muttered silently as he scooped up a hefty portion of their dinner with a makeshift spoon made out of bamboo and heaped it on a similar form of cup before holding it out for Kuroro—who took the extended cup in silence.

"Cheers," the blonde's conversational partner murmured as he bravely shoveled down the less-than-appetizing ingredients of his evening meal, hoping that he'll live through the gruesome ordeal.

The blonde sighed almost inaudibly as he mirrored his companion's actions.

And very nearly wished the rest of the Spiders were suffering a hell of a lot worse than what he was experiencing now.

(To be continued…) 

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_Glossary:_

1 a name of a tree … that I made up of course! (sorry, my 'creative' mind is not being productive right now, that's why I ended up with such a lousy name)

2 another made-up insect, just imagine a ping-pong sized firefly glowing red instead of its usual color

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**Notes:** (avoids several sharp, pointed objects thrown) TT Hontou maji ni moushi wake arimasen! I'm terribly sorry for ignoring BP for all these months (cringes) if you go through the horror these past few months have been for me, I'm sure you'd understand. I've got NINE bloody seminars to prepare for and coordinate within one month… talk about living hell. Xx

Gomen nasai! (cringes) Sad to say, but this tardiness in updates will definitely be happening for a long, long time (or worse, maybe forever). My job's a killer… it demands about at least 15 hours a day from me as I go to work starting 6 in the morning and get home around 9 in the evening as the earliest… not counting the time I get up and my late night-ups doing take-home work. In simpler terms, I'm half dead, a zombie and a vampire at the least, and my brain cells aren't doing any better either (they're probably in dire need of oxygen by now).

I suspect this is worse than a full-blown case of writer's block, as I can't even drum up the energy of prying my eyes open when I get home, much less open this darn computer and start typing the next instalments. Gomen ne, but you could say… I'll be taking ages to finish what I'm writing… working in a Japanese government agency just plain kills a normal human being, these Nihonjin certainly aren't normal, I just hope they could spare one measly life… preferably mine.

This chapter's focusing solely on Kurapika and Kuroro… as you can see. I'll try to work on the rest of the cast for the upcoming…uh… hopefully, months and not years as what I've done for this chapter. TT Oh, and please read the companion fic entitled **Arachnophobia**, it's just plain humor set sometime between chapters two and three of BP. You'll see some of the implied pairings I'll be delving further on in future updates on Blood Pact.

I'm currently addicted to Saiyuki Reload's second ending theme, _Fukisusabu Kaze no Naka de_ and Gunlock's opening _Don't look back again_. I mean it, literally… I practically played it over and over again the entire time I was working on this chapter. Let's just say… if you encounter a hopelessness case of LSS—that would be me.

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Response to Reviews: 

Many thanks to all my reviewers, especially to those who've added to me their favorites list! Hontou ni arigatou gozaimasu! I don't have the time to list all of you down, since…uhm… you guys are quite a number. I never thought BP would earn so much reviews… :) Sankyuu!

I'd also like to express my sincerest gratitude to **Night-Owl123**-san, **mistressKC**-san, **kurapy**-san, **the simple mind**-san, **Vanice**-san, and **kuroro12**-san for keeping up with my umm… lack of updates. ; Please don't horsewhip me for keeping you all waiting… (bows) Gomen nasai!

A bountiful truckload of thanks to **Klappy**-san, who has been in correspondence with me for quite some time, and who also contributed a lot of encouragement to the continuity of this godforsaken fic… I'm really glad to have gotten to know you better. Another bucket of thanks for the anime e-cards you've sent me, it really touches me that for someone who've just met a virtual stranger, you'd spend so much time dedicating encouraging e-cards to me, more so keeping in touch with me despite my uh… lack of communication. Sankyuu!

**Lady CC Kagehoshi**-san, thank you so much for reading my work and I'm really glad you liked it, it makes me ridiculously happy to know that you actually got you hooked into reading my fic. I do hope it will also inspire you to read other wonderful HxH fanfics out there, and I also hope that after reading this chapter, you won't be severely disappointed. I'm going to admit, I wasn't exactly what you could call 'inspired' while I was working on this chapter, but I do hope you've enjoyed reading it.

**Delton-Ruu**-san, thank you for the review, I must say I'm really short on words for now. Your praise got my brain cells all tied up into knots, let's just say I'm already threatening to indulge in a much deserved bout of gloating… but I'm duty-bound to suppress it as of now because as you've noticed… I'm driven myself up a solid wall of perdition finishing up this chapter! I do hope you'll still think highly of me after you've read this one. ; I'm not even sure if I was still in the right state of mind while I was writing this out… oh well. Thank you for putting up with me.

I'm truly sorry if I'm no longer able to acknowledge my gratitude to all of your reviews in detail, but this is the life of a part-time pathetic fanfic writer and a full-time corporate employee. It's a goddamn killer to any sane person's social life. (bawls) Please keep those reviews coming! I'd really, really appreciate it if you wonderful readers could take a few minutes of your time to hit that review button below and start listing down your comments.

Thank you for the lot of you who reviewed the comedy sidefic entitled _Arachnophobia_, it's really swell that you all liked it. At first I wasn't sure about how all of you would react to it though, and for a while there, I was certain I'd already misplaced my sanity. What am I saying? I've already lost it a long, long time ago! Glad to see insanity's contagious. I sure could use a good laugh… that's why I ended up writing that first instead of chapter six of BP (I want to slowly mutilate my boss).

And so, for those who demanded chapter six of Blood Pact, I've already answered the summons. Just bear with the lousiness of this chapter, I'll try to make it up on chapter seven—which I'm working on right now… and hopefully, will be able to finish.

I'm running out of ideas and time here so I need all the encouragement I can get. I can't believe it's already received 598 hits at the latest count, although I'm really disappointed in the lack of reviews, since I really, really need it. :(

But still, thanks a lot, guys, for supporting me until now, even when my tardiness is getting a bit out of hand.

Whew. (pant) There, I'm done ranting, so you can all go back to work, as what I'm doing right now. (forced smile)


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